If You Love Something Set It Free
by Vinsmouse
Summary: Looks like Kathy Sue isn't finished with Bo yet. Will Luke be able to save him from her clutches. Sequel to Love Hurts. Warnings: Violence, Angst, Abuse. Please Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Violence, abuse, angst

Rating: FRT

**Looks like Kathy Sue isn't done with Bo, will Luke be able to save him from her clutches? A sequel to Love Hurts, please read and review. Thank you.**

**A/N: The title comes from a well-known poem that a friend of mine put a twist on. It is that twist which inspired the title. The twisted version of this poem goes:**

**If you love something; set it free**

**If it's your's it'll come back to you **

**If it doesn't; track it down and kill it.**

**If You Love Something Set It Free**

Walking out the front door, Bo Duke headed for the fields searching for his Uncle Jesse. He knew Luke was just worried about him, and he appreciated it. He really did, but dang if he wasn't about to drive him crazy. Why couldn't Luke understand that he didn't have to worry about him anymore? He was over Kathy Sue, even if she wanted to be with him it didn't matter, cause he didn't want to be with her anymore. He wasn't ever gonna let her or anybody else treat him like that again. So why couldn't he get that through Luke's thick skull?

For the past two months his older cousin had hardly let him out of his sight. At first he hadn't minded a bit, even kind of liked it if he was honest. When he finally saw the truth about his relationship with Kathy Sue, understood that she was abusing him, it was Luke he had turned to for strength. Oh, Uncle Jesse and Daisy had been there for him too, they had been great and if it hadn't been for Daisy he might not have woke up to the truth. He would never be able to repay her for that, but during the days and weeks after his break-up with Kathy Sue it had been Luke who was always there. Luke he turned to when he woke up trembling after a nightmare, Luke who held him as he worked to get himself back under control. He hadn't wanted to shut Uncle Jesse or Daisy out, and had let them help as much as he could, but with them everything was strained. Though they tried to hide it from him, they could neither one get past the guilt they felt, not that they deserved it. They had been here all of those months when he was dating Kathy Sue, but they hadn't seen the way she treated him. Hadn't noticed the changes in him, the way he had hidden the real him away, it was only when Luke returned home that the awful truth finally came out. And because of their guilt, Bo couldn't ask them for help, couldn't go to them with his fears and his anger. Couldn't tell them of his own feelings of guilt, the few times he had talked to them about his feelings he could see the guilt in their eyes growing, and so he turned to Luke for support.

Now though it had been two months since he had stopped seeing Kathy Sue and he was feeling suffocated. His friend L.B. Davenport had called a little while ago and invited Bo to the Tastee Freeze for burgers and just to hang out. Bo had been quick to say yes, but when he hung up the phone Luke was standing there, demanding to know who Bo was going to meet and where. Bo never had liked being treated like a little kid, even when he was a little kid, so he sure wasn't going to put up with it now, and his temper erupted.

"It ain't none of your dang business who I'm going to meet Luke Duke, I ain't five years old ya know!" Seeing the look on Luke's face, Bo knew he'd gone too far. "Aw heck Luke, I'm sorry I shouldn't be yelling at ya like that. I know you're just worried about me cousin, but I need to get away for a little while, I just need some time with my friends, without you hovering. Ya ain't got to worry about me anymore Luke, I promise I'm done with Kathy Sue, I ain't gonna go back to her if you stop watching me. I learned my lesson, I know I didn't ever deserve the way she treated me, and I ain't in any hurry to go back to being treated like that by her or anybody else."

Luke sighed as he listened to Bo's words, he understood how hard the last two months had been for Bo, but he couldn't help worrying. But knowing that he couldn't protect Bo forever, and realizing that maybe he was overreacting, he offered a compromise, "Tell ya what Bo, if Uncle Jesse says it's okay, I'll let ya go meet L.B. without an argument, okay?"

"Thanks Luke, I'll go ask Uncle Jesse now," Bo replied, heading outside. Turning back when he felt Luke's eyes on his back, "I'll be careful Luke, I promise you don't have to worry."

Heading out to the fields, he found his uncle who was just then returning to the farmhouse. When Bo told him what he wanted, Jesse wasn't surprised that the boy was trying to break away from Luke's protection. Jesse knew Luke meant well and at first Bo had needed his cousin's strength to heal from what Kathy Sue had done to him, but he had known the day was coming when that would end. Recently as Jesse had watched Bo, he had noticed a certain restlessness in the boy, had seen how he chafed at Luke's closeness. Knowing all of this and understanding that for Bo to fully heal he would have to become the independent young man he had been before Kathy Sue, Jesse gave his permission.

Returning to the house, Bo raced inside and grabbed Jesse's keys from the hook in the kitchen. Stopping only long enough to say good-bye to Luke and promising again to be careful, he jumped into his uncle's truck and headed to town. Watching as Bo drove away, Luke couldn't help the shiver of fear that ran through him. He told himself he was being foolish but he couldn't help feeling that letting Bo out of his sight was a mistake.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Violence, angst, abuse

Rating: FRT

**Make me happy, please read and review.**

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 2

Three hours later Luke was sitting in the living room, staring at the phone. Watching from the doorway Jesse saw him reach for the phone, only to draw back, "He's fine Luke."

"You don't know that Uncle Jesse, what if something's happened to him? I should go to town, make sure he hasn't ran into that..."Luke trailed off, heading for the door.

"You ain't gonna do that Luke, Bo's fine and he ain't gonna like it if you check up on him. Just leave him be Luke, he needs this. I know you want to help him, and you have, but it's time to let go. ...Do you remember that bird you found when you was little?"Uncle Jesse asked, as he stood in Luke's way.

"Yeah, but this ain't like that Uncle Jesse," Luke protested.

"That's where you're wrong boy, it's just exactly like that. That bird needed your help, just like Bo did, but once it was healed you had to let it fly away, had to let be free. And now it's time to do the same for Bo, you've done all ya could for him, you have to let him do the rest or he'll never heal all the way," Jesse patiently explained.

" I'll try, but I'm worried about him Unlce Jesse. I don't know how to explain it, I just know that I've got a real bad feeling about him being out there alone. I know I'm probably overreacting, but it's like when I was in the war, I keep feeling like the enemy is out there just waiting for us to let our guard down."

Jesse wasn't sure how to respond to that, he had been worried that he had let Luke shoulder too much of the responsibility for helping Bo, now he was sure of it. "Luke son, I think maybe you need to go see Cooter, maybe spend some time with your friends. You've spent the last two months looking out for your cousin, and I'm real proud of ya, but maybe now you need to look out for yourself."

"Ya think I just took on too much? It ain't that Uncle Jesse. I don't think it is anyway,...oh heck, maybe you're right. Could be I need a break from looking out for Bo as much as he needs to get away from me and my hovering," Luke reluctantly admitted. "Think I'll call Cooter and see if he's got time to go to the Boar's Nest, ain't been there in a while."

"I think that's a real good idea son," Jesse told him, giving his approval, glad to see Luke was starting to see sense.

Inside the Tastee Freeze, Bo sat talking to his friends, laughing and joking around. Relaxing like he hadn't in months, not since he had first began to date Kathy Sue. Even after breaking up with her, the tension and fear were still there, it had only been in the last week or so that he had finally started to relax. As much as he could anyway, with Luke constantly watching him, like he expected him to break down anytime. Bo tried to understand, he knew his family had been worried about him, especially Luke. And it was Luke who had the hardest time accepting that he was healing, Jesse and Daisy didn't have any problem with it, why did Luke? Why couldn't his cousin understand that he needed for things to go back to normal, needed to spend time with his friends, needed to remember who he was before Kathy Sue.

Outside, hidden behind some bushes across the street, Kathy Sue sat watching Bo having fun with his friends. Sneering in disgust at his childish behavior, watching him and his friends giving each other noogies and shooting spitwads at each other. How could he prefer to be with them? Didn't he understand how much better he had been with her? When he was with her, he acted so much more grown-up, had known she wouldn't put up with these childish antics. Why couldn't he see that if they were really his friends they wouldn't let him act like that? Didn't he know if he kept hanging out with them, kept ignoring her he would never get anywhere? Well she was through being ignored, tonight she would take back what belonged to her.

When Bo left four hours later, Kathy Sue watched him, carefully pulling out to follow. After a few miles she was sure he was headed home and turned off the main road. Taking a shortcut, she was soon ahead of Bo, parking her truck across the road she stepped out and waited.

Driving towards home, Bo pulled up short when he saw a truck in the road. Slowing down, he came to a stop,...throwing the truck into reverse Bo began to back up as soon as he recognized the truck. Before he could go anywhere though, a shot rang out and Bo felt the truck lurch as the tire abruptly lost its air.

"Get out of the truck Bo!" Kathy Sue yelled at him. "Now Bo, or do you want you're family to find you with a hole in your head?" she asked when he didn't do as she said. Kathy Sue smiled in victory, when Bo opened the door and reluctantly stepped out of the truck.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills

Warnings: Violence, angst, abuse

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 3

"What do you want Kathy Sue?" Bo asked, doing his best to hide his fear.

"I just want to talk Bo. I just want the chance to make you see we belong together. I love you Bo and I thought you loved me."

"Love? You don't know what love is Kathy Sue. What we had wasn't love, I'm not sure what it was but I see now that it sure wasn't love."

"Don't say that Bo. I know you don't mean it, it's that cousin of yours, he's the one who ruined us. Everything was just fine until he came back, can't you see that Bo? Can't you see we belong together?"

Bo jumped when the shot rang out, the bullet kicking up dust at his feet. "Answer me Bo, you know I hate to be ignored."

"You're wrong Kathy Sue, the only one to blame for us breaking up is you. The way you treated me was wrong, it wasn't love. We dang sure don't belong together, so why don't you just get back in your truck and leave me alone."

"I don't think so Bo...damn it what's he doing here?" Kathy Sue snarled as she saw Luke approaching in the General. Knowing that she would have to wait for another chance, she jumped back in her truck. "This isn't over yet Bo," she yelled as she drove off.

Pulling up behind Jesse's truck, Luke climbed from the General and headed towards Bo, his worry climbing a notch when he noticed how pale his cousin was. "Bo what's wrong, who was that?"

"Ain't nothing wrong Luke, 'cept for this dang old truck got a flat,"Bo told him, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Okay, so who was that in the other truck?" Luke asked again, wondering why Bo was avoiding the question.

"Weren't nobody, just some guy offering to help, I told him I didn't need no help and he left that's all." Bo knew he should probably tell Luke the truth, but he didn't want him to worry, he had caused enough trouble for his family lately. I'll tell them if she tries anything, but I'm stronger now and I can handle her, it ain't like it was before. If Luke knows Kathy Sue was here, if he knew what she'd done there ain't any telling what he'll do. I can't tell him or anybody else about this, I'll just have to handle it by myself. "You can go on home Luke, I'll be along just as soon as I get this tire changed."

"Why don't I give you a hand, you'll get home that much quicker," Luke offered.

"Dang it Luke, I ain't a kid and I don't need a babysitter.! I think I can handle changing a flat tire, why don't you just go on and leave me be!" Bo yelled, he had to keep Luke away from the truck. If he saw that tire and realized it had been shot out, he'd never let it go until Bo told him everything, and he wasn't gonna do that. He was gonna take care of Kathy Sue himself, she was his problem and it was time for him to stop acting like a scared kid when it came to her.

"Fine Bo, you handle it I was just trying to help," Luke replied, not trying to hide the hurt in his voice. Turning his back on Bo, he headed to the General, climbed in and took off towards home.

Arriving home Kathy Sue ran inside, slamming the door behind her and going to her daddy's liquor cabinet she poured herself a drink. Damn that Luke Duke, he's always getting in the way. Ever since he came home, he ain't caused me anything but trouble. If it wasn't for him Bo would still be with me, where he belongs. I hate him, he's ruined everything with his meddling, who does he think he is anyway? Coming along and keeping Bo away from me, he probably thinks if he can convince Bo he don't belong with me he can have me for himself. Yeah I'll bet that's it, he just wants me for himself, well that ain't going to happen, Bo is the one I'm destined to be with. I'll just have to find some way to get him alone, then I know I can convince him that he belongs to me. I'll win you just wait and see, I always get what I want, and I want Bo Duke! Kathy Sue thought to herself as she paced around the living room, making plans for just how she would punish Bo for leaving her. Once he had been punished enough, then she would make him see that he belonged to her, she wouldn't let him go until he accepted that they belonged together.

/Running through the woods, he could feel the branches of passing trees whipping against his face and arms as he tried to get away. In the distance he could hear the sound of his pursurer, could hear branches snapping as they were broken off during the pursuit. Suddenly he was on the ground, something had tripped him, as he pulled himself to his feet he froze in terror. Boots...in front of his face...oh God she had found him, as he heard the click of the hammer of her gun being pulled back, he looked up into the face of the one who would kill him./ Jerking awake, drenched in sweat, Bo looked over at Luke's bed relieved to see that he hadn't woke him up. Seeing the time, knowing he would have to get up in an hour anyway, Bo went ahead and got out of the bed. Heading to the bathroom, he turned on the shower, stepping under the hot spray he tried his best to banish the dream from his mind.

Several hours later Luke was surprised when Bo came over to where he was working on the General, after last night he wasn't sure what to expect from his cousin.

"Luke...um...I just wanted to say sorry. I didn't have any right to act like I did last night, you was just trying to help I know that. Guess I'm a little touchy lately, but that ain't any excuse and I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" Bo finally asked in a small voice.

"Of course I forgive ya Bo. I suppose I can understand, Uncle Jesse tried to tell me I've been kind of smothering you the last couple of months. Guess he was right when he said you was ready for things to get back to normal. I'll try not to hover so much, okay?"Luke answered, holding out his hand to his cousin.

Taking Luke's hand in his own, Bo gave a short nod unable just then to answer. I should tell him the truth, he deserves to know. No, I don't want to worry him, I ain't the only one needs things to be normal again. Dang it Bo Duke it's time you stand up and take care of your own problems he berated himself, on some level knowing keeping quiet was a mistake.

For the next couple of days the whole family was surprised to see Bo sticking close to the farm. After his argument with Luke they had all figured he'd be asserting his independence as much as possible. Instead it seemed he wanted to have his family nearby, needed to know they were there, like he needed them nearby to feel safe. Then just as suddenly as he had been keeping them close again, he began to push them away. Insisting that he could handle going into town on his own, that he could stay at the farm on his own. Chafing, like a wild horse whenever any of them suggested that he accompany them on errands or that one of them stay home with him.

Four days after Bo's encounter with Kathy Sue, Luke mentioned that he looked tired, asking if he was okay and without warning Bo exploded. "Dang it Luke, quit treating me like a little kid! I'm going for a drive, I'll be back later, and you better be ready to treat me like an adult or else," Bo yelled as he climbed into the General and drove off.

A couple of hours later, Bo pulled up to Hazzard pond and climbed out of the car. He had only been there a short time when he heard another vehicle pull up behind the General. Turning around he was surprised to see Kathy Sue in her daddy's truck, "Hello Bo, I told you this wasn't over yet. Are you ready to talk now?"

"Ain't nothing to talk about Kathy Sue, I told you before I'm through with you. What have I got to do to get through to you?" Bo asked, heading towards the General, stopping in his tracks when he saw the gun in her hand.

"Now Bo is that any way to be? You know I had hoped we could do this the easy way, but I see now that isn't possible. I suppose the only way I'll be able to talk to you is if we go somewhere private, and I know just the place. Here...put those on, your left wrist only," she instructed, tossing him a pair of handcuffs.

When he didn't immediately bend down to pick them up, Kathy Sue fired the gun at his feet, "Now Bo!"

Reaching down, Bo picked up the cuffs, placing one around his left wrist, leaving the other to dangle free.

"Very good Bo...now come over here and get in the truck...shut the door and attach the other cuff to the armrest," she ordered, keeping the gun on him the whole time. As soon as Bo was secure, Kathy Sue walked around to the driver's side and climbed in. Starting the engine, she put the truck in gear and drove off, keeping the gun trained on Bo at all times.

"Breaker one, breaker one, might be crazy but I ain't dumb, Crazy Cooter comin at ya. Any of y'all Dukes home on the Hazzard net, come back."

In the kitchen of the Duke farm, Daisy heard the call and answered, "Ya got Bo Peep here Cooter, what can we do for ya?"

"I was just wondering if y'all want me to tow the General back to y'alls place or does he need to go to the garage?"

Paling at Cooter's words, Daisy yelled for Luke and Uncle Jesse before answering Cooter. "Cooter...did you see any sign of Bo around the General?"

"No Daisy, ain't no sign of anybody. I was driving along and saw him parked by the pond but ain't nobody around. I hollered for the boys and looked around some but he's here all by his lonesome." Cooter reluctantly told her.

"Cooter this here's Luke. Did ya say the General is at the pond?" Luke asked, fear for his cousin coming through loud and clear.

"Yeah Luke that's what I said. You want me to bring him home?"

"No, ...Cooter could you stay there until me and Uncle Jesse can get there?"

"You got it buddyroo," Cooter replied, glad to help out.

Grabbing the keys to Jesse's truck off the hook, Luke and Jesse headed out to look for Bo. Daisy staying home in the hope that he would show up there or call and tell them where he was. Daisy watched them leave, tears stinging her eyes as she whispered a silent prayer for the safety of her baby cousin.

TBC

Okay, y'all know what to do, tell me what ya think and keep me writing.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Violence, Angst, Abuse

Rating: FRT

I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update. On April 12th I lost a good friend of 21 years and have been busy since then going through his things. I will try to keep the updates closer together, but I am still dealing with this loss and it may slow me down some. However as this story was actually being written at his request rest assured I will finish it, and now that I've managed another chapter I think it will probably be a lot easier. Just wanted to let you know why the delay had occurred. Thank you for your patience.

Mouse

"Where are we going Kathy Sue?" Bo dared to ask, several minutes after leaving Hazzard pond. Getting no response, he lapsed into silence once again, afraid he would anger her. He was completely surprised when they pulled into the driveway of Kathy Sue's house, Bo couldn't believe she would bring him here. Wasn't she worried that her parents would find out he was here?

As though reading his mind, Kathy Sue began to explain, "I know what you're thinking Bo. You're wondering how we'll get any privacy here, well you see darling my parents are away right now. Sort of a second honeymoon you might call it, so we'll have the place all to ourselves, at least for the next two weeks. I'm sure by the time they get back, we will have solved all of our problems, maybe we'll even have a honeymoon of our own to plan by then." By this time Kathy Sue had made her way around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door. Forcing Bo to kneel on the ground, she unlocked the cuff from the door and stepped back. Taking him inside, she took him to the guest room and forced him to lie on the bed. Keeping her distance until he had looped the cuffs around the headboard and reattached the loose one to his wrist she kept her gun trained on him, laying it down only when he was secured to the bed. Reaching into a drawer of the nightstand, Kathy Sue withdrew a role of duct tape and used a strip to silence Bo. "I'm sorry Bo, I wish I could let you talk but I wouldn't want you to start yelling and upset anybody who might stop by. You understand, don't you darling?"

Bo didn't respond, couldn't respond, he could only tremble in fear when he saw the knife in her hand as she brought it towards his chest. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or scared when instead of cutting him, she began to use the knife to remove his shirt. "I hate to hurt you Bo, you know that but you have to learn. You have to understand that you belong to me, and as long as you keep rebelling against me I'll just have to keep giving you lessons." Laying aside the knife, Kathy Sue reached for Bo's belt and had soon removed it from his jeans, grasping it by the buckle she let fly with a lash across his naked chest. "I'm sorry I have to be so hard on you darling, but it's your own fault. If you had just listened to me instead of Luke, none of this would be happening. I wouldn't have been forced to restrain you like this, I wouldn't need to punish you for trying to get away from me. You can't leave me Bo, you can never leave me, you'll see that soon," Kathy Sue ranted as she continued to lash Bo with the belt. Loving the surge of power she felt with each strike, she stopped only when Bo finally passed out from the pain. Reaching out she swiped her hand through a trail of blood, and slowly licked it from her finger.

"Anything Cooter?" Luke asked, as he climbed out of Dixie and walked over to the General.

"No sign of Bo, but I did find some tire tracks up here on the side of the road. Looks like they might belong to a pick-up or van, maybe somebody stopped and gave Bo a ride into town." Cooter suggested.

Shaking his head at that suggestion, Luke couldn't help hoping though that Cooter was right. "Doesn't make any sense Cooter, why would Bo get a ride instead of hollering at you or calling the farm? Let's check the motor maybe he had problems with it, that might explain him getting a ride." Reaching in through the window, Luke turned the key, while Cooter continued to look around the area. Becoming more worried when the General roared to life, nothing wrong with it, no reason for Bo to leave him sitting like this.

Bending down to pick up the object he'd spotted, Cooter called to his friend, "Luke! Look a here what I found, now what do ya suppose that's doing here?" Cooter asked, holding up the shell casing he'd found near the General.

"I don't know Cooter, but I sure don't like it. There ain't no mud on this thing, no sign that it's been here long." Bringing the shell to his nose, Luke's heart sank at the odor he detected, "I can still smell cordite, this thing's fairly fresh..." Luke turned at the sound of a pick-up pulling in behind Dixie,"...Uncle Jesse,"he whispered, "how am I gonna tell him what we found?"

"Luke, you boys find anything? Any sign of Bo?" Jesse asked as he rushed up to Luke and Cooter.

"He ain't here Uncle Jesse, the General started up just fine,...and Cooter found a shell casing near the General. Looks like it's fresh, there's also some tire tracks up near the road, we haven't found anything else yet."

"You think maybe somebody took him? That don't make any sense Luke, why would anybody kidnap Bo?" Jesse questioned gruffly, the worry evident in his voice.

"I don't know Uncle Jesse, maybe he just went somewhere with a friend, but I don't believe that. I don't think he'd leave the General just sitting here like this, but I can't figure any reason for somebody to kidnap him either," Luke admitted. "Wait a minute! Your truck,..."

"My truck? What's my truck got to do with this Luke?" Jesse asked in confusion, rushing after Luke as he headed to the truck.

"The other day, when Bo went into town, he had a flat tire on the way home. I pulled up, just as another truck was leaving, Bo was acting awful strange. Come to think of it, he never did say who was in the truck, just that it was some guy offering to help. I want to see if the tire's still here, I got a feeling it's connected to today..." Luke told him as he pulled the tire to the back of the truck. "Cooter, what's that look like to you?" Luke asked, already sure of the answer.

Cooter looked at him with an expression of concern on his face, "Looks like a bullet hole Luke, but why would that be in this tire? You suppose whoever shot this tire was here today? Maybe that guy Bo mentioned had something to do with him being missing?"

"That's exactly what I think Cooter! Dang it Bo, why didn't you just tell me somebody was taking shots at you?"

"What did this truck look like Luke?" Uncle Jesse asked after a moment.

"I didn't get a very good look at it Uncle Jesse I was too far away. It was white and I don't think it was very old, but that's about all I could tell ya. I didn't even get a look at the driver...I just don't get it, why didn't Bo tell me about this? Damn it, this is all my fault, if I hadn't been hovering so much he probably would've told me. ...Hold on a minute, Kathy Sue...I wonder if she had something to do with this?" Luke questioned, as he thought out loud. "I'm going to see that girl and God help her if she had anything to do with this," Luke growled as he raced to Dixie and jumped in. A hand suddenly clamped down on his, before he could start the engine, Luke looked up in surprise, "Uncle Jesse what are ya doing? I've got to find out if that witch did anything to Bo."

"I know you do boy, but you can't just go barging in to her house demanding answers. Bo did say it was a guy in that truck the other day, and if she didn't have anything to do with his disappearance... You go barging in and her or her folks could have you put in jail, and ya can't help Bo if you're locked up, now can ya?" Jesse asked in a firm voice, needing to make Luke stop and think.

Forcing himself to take several deep breaths in an effort to calm down, Luke tried to push his emotions to the side, tried to think of the best way to handle this. "Okay, you're right Uncle Jesse, but we do need to ask her some questions, make sure she ain't involved in this. Would you go talk to her? Me and Cooter will get started looking around Hazzard for him,...I would talk to her but, I don't think I could stay calm long enough to get any answers out of her."

"That sounds like a good plan Luke, after I talk to Kathy Sue, I'll go see Rosco and report Bo missing, not that it'll do any good," Jesse said, turning away from Luke and heading to his truck. "You boys be careful now, we don't need y'all going missing too," he cautioned them, before starting the truck and driving away.

Pulling up to the Shelton house, Jesse took a calming breath of his own. He sure hoped that Kathy Sue hadn't done anything to Bo, he didn't know if he would be able to stop Luke if that girl had hurt Bo. Truth be told he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop himself if she had hurt his boy again. It was only moments after knocking on the door that he heard someone turning the knob. Forcing himself to keep the smile on his face when he saw Kathy Sue, Jesse politely greeted her. "Hello Kathy Sue, are your folks at home?"

"No I'm sorry Mr. Duke they're not. They went on a trip, sort of a second honeymoon they won't be back for a couple of weeks. Is there something I can help you with?" Kathy Sue asked, giving the old man a smile. Damn it, how did they find out Bo was gone already? Calm down girl, that may not even be why he's here, just stay calm.

"Well I sure hope so Kathy Sue. The thing is...well Bo's gone missing and I was just wondering if you might have seen him?" Jesse asked, carefully keeping any suspicion out of his voice.

"Missing? Do you mean he's ran off?" a look of confusion on her pretty face.

"No he ain't ran off, we think somebody kidnapped him. We found the General and there was a shell casing, looked to be fresh nearby. Have you been anywhere today Kathy Sue? Maybe you saw something..." Jesse trailed off, hoping she would give herself away if she was involved.

"Well I did go into town earlier, let me think for a minute. ...No I'm sorry Mr. Duke, I don't remember seeing anything strange around town and I haven't seen Bo since we broke up. Well except that is when I happen to see him in town, but I haven't spoken to him since we stopped dating. I wish I could help, I sure hope you find him alright, now if you'll excuse me I have a cake in the oven I need to check on." Kathy Sue told him, shutting the door and leaving him standing on the porch.

Watching out the window, Kathy Sue sighed in relief when Jesse climbed back into his truck and pulled out of the driveway. Turning from the window, the sweet innocent smile she had given Jesse Duke now gone, a look of contempt and anger rapidly replacing it.

"Miss me darling?" she cooed, stepping into the bedroom where Bo was secured. "Now where were we before your uncle interrupted us?" Giggling at the look of surprise on Bo's face, she couldn't resist taunting him. "That's right, it was your uncle at the door. They're looking for you, I'll admit I didn't expect them to be looking so soon, but no matter. They have no idea you're here with me so don't think you'll be getting rescued anytime soon." Leaning down to the bed Kathy Sue placed her mouth next to Bo's ear, "Don't be so scared honey, it won't all be punishment. After you've been punished enough, I'll prove to you that we belong together. I know you still want me Bo, and soon I'll make you understand that you belong to me, and no one else," she whispered in his ear.

Bo shivered in revulsion at her words, No! I'll never be with you again, I don't belong to you or anybody! Bo thought as he struggled against the cuffs. Groaning in frustration as his struggles only caused Kathy Sue to laugh.

"You might as well stop fighting Bo, you'll never break free of those cuffs. I'm sorry darling, I'm afraid all you can do is accept your fate. You brought it on yourself you know, if only you hadn't listened to that cousin of yours, I wouldn't have to hurt you like this. It wouldn't be necessary to punish you for your defiance. We were happy Bo, you know it's true, before he came home. We can be happy again, if you'll just accept that you were wrong to leave me. Accept that you belong to me. ME! Nobody else!" she screamed as she suddenly began to cut him with the knife she had held earlier. Straddling his waist as he writhed on the bed, trying in vain to escape the cuts she was inflicting, Kathy Sue gave a chilling laugh as she moved the knife from his side to his chest and began to cut again. "I know how to make sure you never forget who you belong to Bo," she murmurred, leaning forward over his chest. "There. Now you'll always remember that you are mine Bo Duke," she purred in satisfaction as she admired her initials carved into Bo's chest.

TBC

**Please read and review, tell me what you think so far. **


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money only cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst; Abuse; Rape(non-graphic); Violence

Summary: Kathy Sue isn't done with Bo yet, can Luke save him?

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 5

"Luke do you think we'll find Bo?" Daisy asked, as they drove towards Bronson's Canyon.

Blowing out a breath, Luke hesitated, not sure what he should say. "I don't know when, but we will find him Daisy, I promise," he told her, muttering under his breath,"I just hope we're not too late."

"Yeah, me too cousin, me too," Daisy softly said, as she reached for his hand, squeezing gently in a gesture of comfort.

Reaching the old Webster place, they climbed out of the General and began searching, hoping they would find Bo here. They had been trying to keep their hopes up, but the longer they searched without any sign of Bo, the harder that became. There were only so many places in Hazzard you could keep a person hidden, and they had already checked most of them. It was as though he had dropped off the face of the earth, no sign of him and nobody they asked remembered seeing him. It was beginning to look as though whoever kidnapped him, had taken him out of Hazzard. If that were the case Luke knew the chances of ever finding Bo would become even slimmer. I just can't figure out who took him or why? None of this makes any sense...come on Bo, where are ya?

At some point while Kathy Sue had been cutting him Bo had passed out, waking later to find her sitting in a chair, watching him. Cringing away from her as she came towards him, Bo shivered in fear, wondering what she had planned for him now.

"Now darling there's no need to be like that. I'm not going to hurt you anymore, not unless you make me, but I'm sure you've learned your lesson. I just know you realize who you belong to now, you understand don't you that we belong together? Oh Bo don't try to deny it, you know it's the truth," she told him as he shook his head in rejection of her words.

No, I don't belong to you or with you! Get away from me, leave me alone! Luke where are ya? Please find me, help me. Struggling against the cuffs, wanting nothing more than to escape from her, he couldn't believe he had ever thought he loved her. As she began to carress his chest, whispering words of love in his ear, Bo shuddered in revulsion.

"Getting excited darling? I know you still want me, you've just let that cousin of your's confuse you. You just need to be reminded of how good we are together," Kathy Sue purred seductively. Leaning down to kiss his neck, she continued to carress him with her hands.

No don't. I hate you! I don't want to be with you again, don't touch me. As Kathy Sue continued to run her hands over his body, Bo was horrified to find himself responding to her touch. Oh God, what's wrong with me? I don't want this, don't want her, why am I reacting to her like this? What kind of man am I? Bo closed his eyes, ashamed of his body's response to her. Wondering how he would ever be able to face his family again, he no longer hoped for Luke to find him. He only wanted for this to end, wanted to go away somewhere that he would never have to see anybody again.

Coming around a curve in the road, Luke slammed on the brakes! Barely avoiding a collision with the car that was sitting in the middle of the road. After checking to see if Daisy was okay, Luke climbed out of the General and headed to the other car, followed closely by Daisy. "Hobie...are ya alright?" Luke asked as he reached the car and opened the door.

"Well if it +hic+ isn't Duke +hic+ and Pansy, how's your cousin Joe+hic+ He did'n look +hic+ good when I saw him," Hobie drunkenly answered.

"What? When did you see Bo? Where did you see him?" Luke demanded, resisting the urge to pull Hobie from the car and shake the answers from him.

"Sure I +hic+ yesterday +hic+ he's with a girl +hic+ I don' thing +hic+ he feld good +hic+ You wanna +hic+ drink?" Hobie asked, offering his jug to Luke and Daisy.

"Uh, no thanks Hobie, we've got to go," Luke answered, turning towards the General and heading to the driver's side. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked Daisy as she slid into the car.

"Kathy Sue?" Daisy answered.

Luke nodded, starting the car and driving towards the Shelton home, praying they weren't too late, hoping she hadn't hurt him too badly.

Straightening her blouse Kathy Sue was startled by the knock at the front door. "Looks like we have company darling, don't worry I'll get rid of whoever it is, be right back," Kathy Sue told Bo, smiling brightly as she left the room.

Flinging open the front door, the smile left her face when she saw who was standing there. "What do you want?" she asked in the iciest voice she could manage.

"We want to know where Bo is and we want to know now!" Luke ground out.

"How should I know where he is? I told your uncle, I haven't spoken to him since we broke up. Now you need to leave and don't come back," Kathy Sue answered haughtily, beginning to shut the door.

Slamming his hand in the middle of the door, Luke shoved it back open. "I don't think so, we know he was with you yesterday, don't try to deny it, you were seen. Now where is he?" Luke growled, grabbing her by the arm.

"You let me go Luke Duke or I'll have you arrested," Kathy Sue threatened, struggling to break his hold.

"No, I think I'd better keep a hold of you for now...Daisy go see if you can find anything, I'll keep her here."

Brushing past Luke and Kathy Sue, Daisy began to search the house. Moving through the rooms Daisy prayed she would find her cousin, or some sign of where he was. After searching several rooms, she was losing hope that she would find anything helpful. As she opened the next door she was unprepared for what she found, "LUKE! Luke hurry!" Daisy screamed, hurrying to Bo's side. Taking in his appearance, Daisy felt a cold rage building, as she reached to cover him Bo flinched from her touch, igniting the rage just as Luke and Kathy Sue came through the door. "You witch! What have you done to him?" Daisy furiously asked, grabbing Kathy Sue away from Luke's hold and punching her in the mouth.

Luke knew he should stop Daisy, knew it wasn't right to let her beat Kathy Sue, but then he saw Bo. His youngest cousin lay cuffed to the bed, a lost look on his face, stepping away from the girls, he approached the bed, tears filling his eyes as he took in Bo's appearance. Deciding to let Daisy handle Kathy Sue, Luke began to search for the keys to the cuffs. As he searched he heard the sounds behind him of Daisy beating Kathy Sue, finally after five minutes of searching he found them. After releasing Bo from the cuffs that held him prisoner, Luke massaged his cousin's arms as the muscles cramped after the hours of confinement. Though he hated the look on Bo's face, terrified at the thought of what she had done to cause that look, Luke reluctantly stepped away from Bo and pulled Daisy off of Kathy Sue. "That's enough Daisy...go call Rosco and...and an ambulance,...go on she's not going anywhere."

Breathing hard, Daisy struggled to bring herself under control. Looking down at Kathy Sue, seeing the bloody nose and lip, the rapidly developing black eye, she found herself unable to feel regret for what she'd done. She knew it wasn't right, but when she remembered the blood on Bo's chest, the look in his eyes and the way he flinched from her, she couldn't help being glad that she had given that witch a taste of her own medicine. She just wished it could make up for whatever she had done to Bo. Pulling away from Luke, she stepped around Kathy Sue and went to make the necessary phone calls. Returning a few minutes later, she stood watch over Kathy Sue, allowing Luke to return to Bo's side. As she watched her cousins, one trying desperately to reach the other, Daisy felt the tears sliding down her face as her heart broke for Bo, at the though of the hell he'd been put through.

"Alright now, what's going on...jumping jehosaphat, what happened here?" Rosco asked, in shock at the scene in front of him. The Shelton girl lay on the floor, Daisy Duke standing over her, while Bo Duke lay on the bed staring into space, his cousin Luke sitting beside him. So shocked was poor Rosco he even forgot his usual action of blaming everything on the Dukes.

"Rosco thank goodness you're here. Kathy Sue kidnapped Bo and...she hurt him real bad Rosco. You have to arrest her," Daisy told him, for once glad to see the sheriff.

"Kidnapped? Now Daisy how did a little thing like Kathy Sue kidnap Bo? And...and if she hurt him, how come she's laying there all beat up?" Rosco questioned, a confused look on his face.

"She kidnapped him by holding a gun on him, and I'm the one who beat her up Rosco, and I'd do it again after what she did to my cousin. Besides I couldn't let her get away," Daisy calmly informed him. "If you don't believe me about what she did, go look at Bo's chest. Go on, see what she did to him," Daisy ordered him, forgetting that Luke had yet to see Bo's chest either.

Pulling the blanket away from Bo's chest, both Rosco and Luke paled at the sight before them. Gently covering the younger man, Rosco turned and marched back to Kathy Sue. Slapping the cuffs on her, he read her rights to her and took the girl to his car. Arriving outside just as the ambulance pulled in the drive, Rosco directed them inside. Placing Kathy Sue in the back of his patrol car, Rosco climbed in and ignoring her claims of innocence and looks of anger, drove her towards the jail.

A few minutes later, having secured Bo to the gurney the ambulance crew came outside, followed by Luke and Daisy. Climbing into the General, the two cousins followed the ambulance towards Capitol City hospital, praying the whole way for Bo's recovery. A few miles outside of Hazzard Daisy gasped in sudden realization, "Uncle Jesse...Luke we've got to tell Uncle Jesse." Reaching for the cb mic, Daisy quickly told Jesse they had found Bo and where they were headed.

Several hours after arriving at the emergencey room entrance, Luke had nearly memorized the pattern in the carpeting as he paced the room. Looking up every time the doors leading to the back opened, only to be disappointed each time. Finally the doors opened again and this time he saw Dr. Appleby standing there. "Doc! How's Bo?" Luke asked, before Daisy or Jesse had even gotten to their feet.

"Calm down Luke. Why don't we step in here and I'll tell everybody at the same time, okay?" Dr. Appleby kindly suggested, motioning to a nearby family room.

The three members of the Duke family glanced at each other in concern. It was never good news when a doctor wanted to talk to you privately. No sooner had the door closed than the questions started flying. Holding up a hand for silence, Jesse turned to his old friend and hiding his fear asked the one question they all had, "Amos, how bad is it?"

"Jesse, I think maybe you should all sit down first."

"Just give it to us straight Amos. Is Bo going to be okay?" Jesse demanded, the tone of his voice allowing no arguement.

"Physically yes. Jesse, as far as his physical injuries the worst are the cuts to his chest. Now those did require stitches and I'm afraid they will leave scars. Now at the moment he does have a slight infection, which we will treat with antibiotics. I have no doubt though that he'll recover from his physical injuries, it's the other injuries I'm worried about. The ones we can't see...right now he's not responding to anybody and from the evidence. ...Jesse there ain't any easy way to tell you this, it appears Bo was sexually assaulted. That along with the physical torture he endured has caused a nearly catatonic state. I wish I could tell you he'll be fine, but this state he's in is a condition he may never recover from, only time will tell," the doctor sadly informed them.

Collapsing into a chair as the doctor's words sank in, Jesse was silent for several minutes. Raped, she forced herself on my boy. Cut her initials in his chest and raped him, Lord forgive me but I'm glad Daisy beat the tar out of her. "Amos? Is there anything we can do?"

"Talk to him Jesse...and pray of course. I want to keep him in the hospital for a couple of days at least so we can administer the antibiotics in his i.v.. Now normally visiting hours would be restricted, but with Bo's condition I don't want him left alone, there's no telling when he'll come out of this, if he ever does that is. The thing is Jesse, if he does wake up and he's alone, well he may try to harm himself. It's not an uncommon reaction to what he's been through."

"You think he'd try to kill himself?" Daisy asked, shocked at the suggestion.

"No way doc, you don't know Bo if you think he could ever do that," Luke denied, refusing to even consider the possibility.

"Don't you worry Amos. One of us will be with him all the time, and we'll talk to him while we're with him. Heck, we'll talk so much, he'll have to wake up just so's he can tell us to shut up," Jesse informed his old friend. "Come on kids let's go see your cousin," Jesse said, wrapping an arm around each of his kids as they stepped into the hall. Following after the doctor as he led the way to his lost sheep, Jesse prayed that Bo would find his way back to them.

TBC

**Please let me know what you think, reviews keep me writing. **

**A/N: In the future please be advised in the event is down my stories are also located at the Wonderful World of MakeBelieve(this is an adult site, though general fiction can be posted as well) the url is **


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst, Violence

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 6

"Sheriff Coltrane what is the meaning of this? Why do you have my little girl locked up like a common criminal?" the shrill voice of Pamela Shelton demanded as she marched into the sheriff's office.

"Now Pamela calm down dear, I'm sure Sheriff Coltrane realizes by now that he's made a mistake. Isn't that right sheriff?"

"Calm down? What do you mean telling me to calm down Lawerence Shelton? This...this poor excuse for a sheriff has our baby locked up and you expect me to calm down?"

Tired of listening to their bickering, Rosco slammed his hand down on the desk, drawing their attention back to him. "Mr. and Mrs. Shelton your daughter is locked up like a common criminal as you put it, because that is what she is. Your daughter is being charged with kidnapping, assau..."

"WHAT? That's riduculous, why my little girl would never do anything like that. Just who is it that's accusing her of such terrible things?" Mrs. Shelton questioned, interrupting Rosco.

"Actually that would be Luke and Daisy Duke at the moment, however..." Rosco tried again to explain, only to be cut off again.

"Well that explains it sheriff, those two hate my Kathy Sue, you know they're the reason that Bo broke up with my little girl. If they hadn't interferred Kathy Sue and Bo would still be together and happy, but they were jealous of their happiness and so they ruined it for them. Don't you see sheriff, you can't believe anything those two would say about my daughter? Though I must admit I am surprised at this, I knew they hated Kathy Sue but I never thought they would go to these lengths," Pamela paused, finally stopping to take a breath.

Rosco took the opportunity to continue, "As I was saying I'm sure the complaint will be filed by Bo Duke just as soon as he's able. I was at your house Mrs. Shelton, I saw that boy and what your daughter did to him, there is no doubt she's guilty. Now if you like you can see her for a few minutes, but she won't be going home with you, at least not today," Rosco told her, a part of him enjoying the look of surprise on her face. He had the feeling that woman didn't hear no very often, and it seemed she didn't like it, not that he cared. Leading them downstairs to see their daughter, he turned and went back upstairs taking the keys with him.

"Oh honey, are you alright? My word..."Pamela gasped in shock when Kathy Sue turned towards her. "Who did that to you and why aren't they in jail?"

"Oh mama it's awful, they said I kidnapped Bo and...oh I can't even say it. Then when I finally made Bo see we belong together, those horrible cousins of his showed up and ruined everything again. Daisy attacked me and Luke kept Bo from helping me, then when the sheriff got there they told him a pack of lies and he believed them, the fool. I don't know where they took Bo mama, the sheriff said they took him to the hospital, but I don't believe them. I'm afraid mama, what if they convince Bo again that we don't belong together? And now the sheriff is keeping me here, charging me with terrible things, but you'll get me out won't you mama? You won't let them send me away, will you?" Kathy Sue cried in despair.

"Of course not honey, don't you worry about a thing baby girl, your mama will get you out of here. Come along Lawerence, I believe we need to see JD Hogg, I'm sure he'll help us," Pamela ordered, sweeping out of the jail, not waiting to see if her husband was following, confident he would be.

An hour later the Sheltons were meeting with a lawyer, shocked that Boss had refused to help them. As Lawerence had listened to Boss outlining exactly what his daughter had done to Bo Duke, his shock had turned to disgust. He had known for some time that Kathy Sue had problems, and he knew it was partially his fault. Maybe if he had stood up to her mother she wouldn't have thought her behavior was okay, and it wouldn't have gotten so out of hand. By the time they were through speaking with Mr. Pennington, Pamela Shelton was fuming and Lawerence knew he was in for a miserable night as she reacted to the news that Kathy Sue would be staying in jail for at least a week. It would take that long for the judge to hold a hearing and until then bail was being denied, due to the severity of the charges.

"Any change Luke?" Uncle Jesse asked, stepping into Bo's hospital room the next morning, Daisy following close behind. He had hated to leave Bo and Luke there alone, but they had animals at the farm to take care of and so he had taken Daisy and gone home the night before. Now seeing the look of despair on Luke's face, he knew the answer to his question, Bo was still as lost to them as he had been the day before.

"Don't you worry Luke, your cousin's strong, he'll come out of this, you'll see," Jesse said, placing a hand on Luke's shoulder and offering what support he could.

Sighing with grief and frustration, Luke gave his uncle a quick glance before turning back to Bo, "I hope you're right Uncle Jesse. I'm just afraid...what if...she hurt him so badly Uncle Jesse, what if he can't recover from it this time? He had just finally started acting more like his old self, I'm scared...I don't want to lose him Uncle Jesse," Luke ended, barely holding in the sobs that tore at his throat, begging for release. A release he didn't dare give into, afraid that if he did he might never stop and he couldn't afford that right now. Bo couldn't afford for him to give into his fear and grief, he had to be strong for Bo, had to help his cousin find his way back to them.

Jesse wrapped an arm around Daisy and gave Luke's shoulder a squeeze, offering silent comfort, knowing this was one of those times when there were no words that would help.

Looking up when the door opened and an orderly stepped into the room, carrying a breakfast tray, the three of them stepped back, allowing the man to set up the tray for Bo. After the orderly left, Jesse sat down in the chair Luke had occupied and lifted the cover from the tray, picking up the fork he offered Bo a bite of the eggs. After trying several times and getting no response, Jesse lay the fork back on the tray, disappointed that Bo had continued to behave as though he weren't even there.

"Let me try Uncle Jesse," Daisy offered, waiting for her uncle to step away from the bed before taking his place. A moment later she had jumped to her feet and ran from the room, tears streaming down her face, unaware of her uncle calling after her as he followed. When she saw the chapel, she went inside and sank down into one of the pews, Oh Bo, how can I help you if I can't get near you? Turning around when she heard the door opening, Daisy wasn't really surprised to see Uncle Jesse standing there. "Uncle Jesse, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run out like that. It's just when he started shaking like that...I want to help him Uncle Jesse but how can I if he can't stand to have me near him?" Daisy choked out through her tears.

"I know girl, I know. You do understand that Bo's not really reacting to you, don't ya?" Jesse asked, hoping Daisy would realize that Bo was reacting to the fact she was a girl and nothing more, as he sat beside her.

"Yeah I know, but...well it still hurts. I just wish we had found him sooner, before she was able to do the things she did. Before she caused him so much damage that hiding like this is the only way he can deal with it,"Daisy told him, leaning into his embrace.

"So do I sweetheart, but I know he'll come back to us, we just have to be patient and keep trying to reach him. Keep trying until he understands that he's safe and Kathy Sue can't hurt him anymore. You ready to go back and see Bo now?" Jesse gently asked.

"Could we stay here a little while longer Uncle Jesse? I don't want to upset him again and well,...I need a little more time to get myself under control."

"Of course we can,...I'm sure Luke can take care of Bo a little longer, but we will have to go back soon. Can't be leaving everything on Luke's shoulders, now can we?" Smiling kindly when Daisy shook her head and snuggled against him, reminding him of when she was a little girl and would have a bad dream.

Luke was as surprised as Jesse and Daisy had been when Bo began to shake at Daisy's nearness, especially since he hadn't reacted that way earlier to the nurse. "What is it Bo? Talk to me cousin, tell me why did Daisy being here upset you so much?" Luke begged, picking up his cousin's hand and rubbing a thumb along the back of it. When Bo stopped shaking after a moment, Luke decided he might as well give it a try and picked up the fork abandoned by Uncle Jesse earlier. Nearly dropping it in surprise a second later, when Bo calmly opened his mouth and allowed Luke to place the eggs in his mouth, putting Luke in mind of a baby bird waiting for its mother to feed it. He watched in surprised delight as Bo closed his lips around the fork and pulled the eggs from it, opening his mouth a few seconds later and waiting for the next bite. "Don't know why you won't eat for Jesse, but I'm sure glad you'll eat for somebody. I sure wish you'd snap out of this Bo, we're all worried about you, ya know? The doctor says you're gonna be okay, but it'd be a lot easier to believe him if you'd stop imitating a signpost and say something," Luke told him as he fed him his breakfast. "Come on Bo, it's okay for you to come out of hiding, that...witch is locked up and even Rosco ain't buying her story. You're safe cousin, I promise I won't let her hurt you again and I ain't never broke a promise to you before. Please Bo wake up, please cousin..." Luke continued to plead, hoping that Bo could hear him and would come back to him, to them.

Two days later Dr. Appleby sent Bo home, telling them that there was nothing more they could do for Bo in the hospital. The intensive antibiotic regime had been completed, so Jesse could continue to treat him at home with pills, and with Luke being the only one he would eat or drink for he was better off at home anyway. "The truth be told Jesse, Bo probably has a better chance of coming out of this in familiar surroundings and at this point the only way for him to remain in the hospital would be on the fourth floor."

"What? No way, you can't let them lock him up in the psych ward Uncle Jesse, we'll never get him back if you do that," Luke protested angrily, shocked that either of them would consider something like that.

"I ain't gonna do any such thing Luke, of course Bo is coming home with us, it's where he belongs," Jesse said, surprised that Luke would think he could ever do that to one of his kids.

"I'm sorry Uncle Jesse I know you wouldn't do that, and I know you weren't really suggesting it Doc. Guess you just caught me off guard," Luke aplogized, more than a little surprised at the strength of his own reaction.

"It's alright Luke,...well now that that's settled, let's get your cousin and head home okay?"

"Any special instructions Amos?" Jesse asked, moments later as they stood outside Bo's room while Luke helped him get dressed.

"Just keep doing what we've been doing here, change the bandages on his chest twice a day, clean the wounds with a gentle soap and make sure he takes those antibiotics twice a day. Other than that, make sure he eats, gets plenty of fluids and keep talking to him, sooner or later he'll respond...I hope."

"Out with it Amos," Jesse barked, seeing his old friend's reluctance to speak.

"What I said before still goes Jesse, don't leave him alone for a moment, even if that means taking him out to the barn with you when you do chores. With everything he's been through, there's no telling what he might do when he finally wakes up," Dr. Appleby reminded him, needing to make sure he understood how important this was.

"We won't Amos don't you worry about that, we're not gonna let that boy hurt himself, that girl's done enough of that to last him a lifetime," Jesse stopped as Luke and Bo stepped into the hallway. "You boys ready to go?"Jesse asked, laying a hand on Luke's back. When Luke nodded his answer, Jesse turned back to his old friend thanking him for all he'd done to help Bo, before leading his boys out to the truck and heading home.

Two weeks had gone by since they had brought Bo home from the hospital. Two weeks of hoping and praying that he would come back to them, two weeks of fear that he never would. Watching Bo sleep, Luke was afraid Kathy Sue had succeeded after all in taking Bo away from them. In the time he had been home, there had been no change at all. Dr. Appleby had tried to reassure all of them that Bo could still come out of this, but Luke was having trouble believing that. God knew he wanted to believe they would get Bo back, it was just so hard to have faith when he saw his cousin like this day after day. Every day was the same, Bo would stare into space, not responding to anybody except Luke and Daisy. Poor Daisy, this had been really hard for her too, she wanted so badly to help Bo and couldn't get near him, every time she tried he would start shaking in fear.

I know it's not right Lord, vengenance is mine sayeth the Lord, that's what the Good Book says, but right now I sure would like to lend You a hand. I see Bo laying here like this, see him shaking whenever Daisy comes near him, You see what that does to her Lord, and I just want to strangle Kathy Sue Shelton for what she's done. I know I can't do that, it's not right and besides if I go to jail what happens to Bo then, heck he won't even eat or drink for anybody else, but I got to tell ya Lord sometimes that's the only thing stopping me. I still can't believe she could do this to Bo, how could she say she loves him and then hurt him so badly? How could anybody who knows him want to hurt him like this? I can't believe that she's out on bail, when Rosco came by yesterday and told us that, all I wanted to do is take Bo away from Hazzard. Take him somewhere safe, some place she would never be able to find him, I promised you Bo I'll never let her hurt you again and I meant it. I'll kill her myself before I let her lay a finger on you, reaching out Luke brush a strand of hair away from Bo's face, as he continued praying. "Please Lord bring him back to us, help him find his way home. Don't let her win Lord, don't let her destroy Bo and this family with her actions. Please God let him wake up. Amen," hanging his head, not knowing he had spoken aloud, Luke didn't see the single tear as it made its way down Bo's cheek, and fell onto the pillow.

TBC

**I sure appreciate all of the wonderful reviews I've gotten so far and that being said the most reviews I've gotten so far for a single chapter has been 9, so let's try to beat that personal record. Please tell me what you think, I will do my best to answer the signed reviews. Thank you.**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst, Disturbing subjects

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 7

Luke's head jerked up at the sound of Bo's moan, looking into his cousin's eyes, he could barely believe what he was seeing. Reaching up to wipe the tear from Bo's cheek, he hardly dared to breathe, afraid he would find it was all a dream, "Bo? Are ya awake now?" he finally asked.

"lu...luke, how...?" Bo rasped out in a voice made weak with disuse.

"Hush Bo, don't try to talk right now. Let me get you some water, there'll be plenty of time for questions later." Standing up, Luke headed to the door, turning back to look at Bo several times before he got there. Just as he put his hand on the knob, he remembered Dr. Appleby's warnings, opening the door he hollered for Jesse and Daisy.

"What is it Luke? Is something wrong with Bo?"

"No, nothing's wrong, everything's right. He's awake Uncle Jesse, Bo's awake!" Luke told Jesse, feeling like his face would crack in half from the grin he could no longer contain. "I'm gonna get him some water, be right back," Luke explained, stepping out of the room as Jesse went in.

Walking to the bed, Jesse looked down at his nephew and couldn't help grinning himself, at the sight of Bo looking back at him. "You back with us now, sprout?" Jesse asked, sitting down on the bed and taking Bo's hand in his, a moment later drawing him into a hug "Thank you Lord for giving my boy back to me," Jesse whispered against Bo's hair. "It's alright Bo, it'll be okay," Jesse reassured, as his nephew began to shake in his arms, tears welling up in his eyes as he felt Bo's tears soaking into his shirt.

"Here you go cou...," Luke trailed off when he saw Bo holding onto Uncle Jesse like his life depended on it, the tears streaming down his face. Sitting down on the other side of the bed, Luke tentatively reached out and placed a hand on the back of Bo's head, softly stroking his hair. "Bo, I brought you some water, think you could take a drink now?" Luke gently asked. When Bo drew back from Uncle Jesse and gave a small nod, Luke gave him the cup, keeping ready in case Bo needed help. Though Bo had been up each day, going to the barn with Jesse or Luke, sitting on the porch in the swing while Luke worked on the General, he was still weaker than normal. Between his injuries and the lack of physical activity, Luke wasn't at all sure he would have the strength to hold the cup. He was relieved when Bo had no trouble holding onto it. After several sips of water, Bo felt ready to talk, though he wasn't sure he was ready for the questions he was afraid they would have.

"How long have I been home?" Bo asked, still whispering, it had been so long since he'd used his voice, it actually hurt to talk. Bo couldn't help thinking that was kind of funny, after all if he hadn't been talking his voice should be well rested, didn't make any sense to him. Not that he was surprised, he wouldn't expect to be able to figure something like that out, or be able to understand it.

Luke looked at Uncle Jesse, not sure what he should say, wondering if Bo's memory had been affected by all of this, and hoping that there were some things he would never remember. "Before I answer that Bo, I need to ask you something," Jesse answered, before Luke could. "Bo, son I know this is hard, but what do you remember?"

"I...I remember everything Uncle Jesse, up until...I remember Kathy Sue making me go with her, and I remember her hurting me...then," Bo paused, not sure what to say. Do they know what I let her do? Do they know what I did? Did Daisy tell them? What do I say? I don't want to tell them about that if they don't know, don't want them to know what I did. " I remember being in the hospital and Luke feeding me, I remember y'all talking to me sometimes...I guess I probably don't remember everything. It's like I was in this fog, and sometimes the fog would clear and I could see and hear what was around me, then the fog would creep back in, does that make sense?" Bo asked, not sure he'd explained it good.

"Yeah that makes sense Bo," Jesse answered, hoping that meant Bo didn't remember being assaulted by Kathy Sue. "You've been home from the hospital for two weeks sprout, Luke and Daisy found you the day after Kathy Sue took you. Now don't you worry none Bo, she ain't gonna get near you again, I promise," Jesse rushed to reassure when he saw Bo begin to shake at the mention of her name. " After you'd spent a couple of days in the hospital and Doc Appleby was sure you'd be okay he sent you home and we've been taking care of you here since then. Speaking of the Doc, I better go call him, let him know you're awake, he'll probably want to come out and take a look at ya," and Jesse stood up, coming back once to give Bo one more hug before going to call the doctor.

Several minutes after Jesse left the room, Bo asked the question he dreaded to ask, but he needed to know, "Luke, where's Daisy?"

"I don't know Bo, in the kitchen I guess. You want me to get her?" Luke asked hopefully, knowing what the last two weeks had been like for Daisy.

"Not yet," Bo replied, picking at the edge of the blanket, finally finding the courage to ask. "Is she...does Daisy hate me?"

"No! Bo why would you ask that? Why would you think Daisy hated you?" Luke nearly shouted, shocked that his cousin could be thinking something like that.

"Then why isn't she in here? I mean you were here soon as I woke up and Uncle Jesse come in right after you called him, but you called Daisy too and..." Bo trailed off, not sure how to continue without saying more than he was ready to.

"Aw Bo, Daisy only stayed away because of...Bo you haven't let her near you since you got to the hospital. Everytime she got close to you, you'd start to shake, we figured you was afraid of her, cause of her being a girl. Do you want me to get her for you?" Luke carefully asked, not wanting to pressure him in any way.

"Not yet I guess, ...I'm kind of tired Luke, maybe I could talk to Daisy later?" Bo asked in a small voice, the sound of fear in his voice breaking Luke's heart.

"Sure Bo, whatever you need. ...Just don't put it off too long Bo, don't let Kathy Sue ruin your relationship with Daisy. You know Daisy loves you Bo and she would never hurt you, you need to remember that she's not Kathy Sue they're nothing alike." Hesitating, not sure what was the right thing to do, Luke absently picked up Bo's hand and began rubbing a thumb across the knuckles as he considered things. He didn't know what all Bo remembered, and he didn't want to upset him, but if it was him, he'd want to be told straight out what was going on. Deciding that was the way to go, Luke finally looked up at Bo. "I don't know if you remember this or not Bo, but when we found you, Daisy was the first one in the room. She was searching the house while I kept a hold of Kathy Sue and kept her from interfering, that's how come Daisy was the first one to see you. I was so scared Bo when I heard Daisy scream for me, thought from the sound of her that Kathy Sue had killed you, I was terrified that we were too late. I was so relieved when I came into the room and saw that you were breathing, that I was caught completely off guard when Daisy attacked Kathy Sue. I promise you Bo, the only person Daisy is angry with is Kathy Sue, and I know I probably should've stopped her, but when I saw you cuffed to that bed and saw that look on your face. Well I'm not gonna say I'm sorry, that would be a lie, so even though I knew it wasn't really right, I let her beat Kathy Sue while I was looking for the key and getting you loose. I finally pulled Daisy off of her once you were free, then I had her call Rosco and an ambulance, while I stayed with you and kept an eye on that witch. Is that why you been acting like you have whenever she'd get near you?" Luke asked, beginning to see what was behind Bo's reactions, at least he thought he knew now.

"Something like that, Luke I know I need to talk to Daisy, and I will but please can I have a little time first? There is one thing you could do for me though, could you tell Daisy that I'm sorry, that I didn't mean to upset her?" Bo asked, looking down, unable to meet Luke's eyes, ashamed as the memories of his time with Kathy Sue assaulted him.

"Sure I'll tell her, why don't you get some sleep now, I'm just gonna sit over here and read, okay?" Luke asked, as he casually stepped over to his own bed, sitting down and taking up a car magazine to read.

It was the next day before Dr. Appleby was able to come out to the Duke farm and check on Bo. Afterwards he went to speak with Jesse, asking Daisy to sit with Bo for awhile knowing after his own talk with Bo that the cousins needed the chance to repair their relationship. Stepping into the kitchen, he accepted the cup of coffee Jesse handed him and took a seat at the table. "Well Jesse, Luke, you'll be glad to hear that Bo is recovering fine physically, but then you can see that for yourselves. He will be a little weak for a while yet, he's had much less physical activity than he's used to and it will take him time to gain his strength back, but other than that his injuries are fully healed. The real concern is his emotional state, though the fact that he's come out of his catatonic state is an encouraging sign, just remember he's going to need time to heal and y'all still need to keep an eye on him, don't leave him alone for more than a couple of minutes at a time. Other than that, there really isn't anything you can do, except be there for him, let him talk if he needs to, but don't force him to talk about it for now. He's young and strong, he just needs the chance to heal," Dr. Appleby told them, finishing his coffee he said his goodbyes and headed back to his office.

"Bo? Doc said you wanted to see me?" Daisy asked softly, coming into the room, fighting the urge to run when she saw Bo begin to tense at her presence.

Nodding nervously, Bo motioned for her to come into the room, Lord this is hard, help me, give me strength. "_Daisy," _Bo barely managed to whisper, licking his lips and taking a deep breath, he tried again. "Daisy, I need to ask you something...are you going to tell Uncle Jesse and Luke what I did?"

"What do you mean Bo? What did you do?" Daisy asked, completely confused by Bo's question, as she sat down on Luke's bed, not wanting to spook Bo.

"You know what I mean Daisy. You saw what I...what I let her do. I was...what kind of man does that with somebody who treats them like she did me? Please Daisy don't tell Uncle Jesse or Luke, I don't...want them to know what I did. I couldn't take it if they were ashamed of me too."

For several minutes Daisy sat staring in shock at her cousin, wishing she had Kathy Sue in front of her one more time. Raping him, torturing him wasn't enough, she had made him think it was his fault, and Oh no he thinks I blame him too, oh Bo. Jumping off of Luke's bed, Daisy hurried to Bo's side, grabbing him in a fierce hug, she tried to reassure him. "Oh honey, no you didn't do anything wrong. Bo, Kathy Sue is the only one who did wrong, nobody is blaming you for what happened. Not Uncle Jesse or Luke and certainly not me..." noticing the look of fear on Bo's face she stopped. "Bo what is it?"

"Uncle Jesse and Luke know, you already told them?" he choked out, the fear nearly overwhelming him, as he considered the possibility of punishment from his family. He knew he deserved it, they had every right to be angry with him, to be ashamed of him and if Uncle Jesse thought he should be punished then he'd take it. He could handle any punishment his uncle thought he should get, just as long as he didn't send him away, losing his family was the one thing he knew he could never handle. Realizing that he hadn't heard Daisy's answer, being so lost in thought , he had to ask her to repeat what she'd said.

"They do know Bo, Dr. Appleby told them, but they know it wasn't your fault, that witch is the only one to blame for what happened," Daisy told him, brushing the hair back from his eyes as she spoke.

"How can you say that Daisy, I...I responded to her...that must mean I wanted her to..." Bo rolled onto his side, away from Daisy, unable to go on and wrapping his arms around himself, desperately trying to get warm.

"Oh Bo, I wish I knew what to say to you, I think maybe you need to talk to Uncle Jesse and Luke. I'm gonna go get them, and Bo, I promise you it wasn't your fault, please believe me," Daisy pled with him, before going to get her cousin and uncle.

A couple of minutes later, Luke and Uncle Jesse were sitting with him, trying to get him to talk to them, afraid he would close himself off from them again. Finally, unable to take the concern he heard and knowing he didn't deserve it, Bo turned to them. "How can you even stand to be near me after what I did?"

"What are ya talking about Bo, you didn't do anything wrong? There wasn't no way you could have known that girl would turn out to be crazy," Luke spoke, the anger he felt toward Kathy Sue coming through clearly.

"Luke's right Bo, the only one to blame here is Kathy Sue, she's the only one that was in the wrong."

"But...Doc told you what happened didn't he? Daisy said he told you and if he did then you know what I did...what I let her do. How can ya say I ain't to blame? What kind of man does that make me?"

"The human kind kiddo. Bo you ain't but eighteen years old, you think cause you responded to her it means you wanted it. Well that's just not true Bo, you're a man Bo and that means your body is gonna act a certain way if...it don't mean you wanted it," Luke told him, hoping he was getting through to him.

"Luke's right sprout, I know you're having a hard time believing that, so let me ask ya this. If Daisy got raped, do you think it would be her fault?"

"Of course not, but that's different she's a girl. I'm a man, if I didn't want it then why did I respond when she touched me?"

"Bo you responded cause your eighteen and a man, ya can't help that response anymore than you could help...sneezing if I blew pepper in your face. Don't mean ya want me to blow pepper in your face does it now?" Jesse asked, wishing for the first time in his life to be given the chance to hurt a woman, hurt her as badly as she had hurt his boy.

"N...no sir...are you sure Uncle Jesse? I didn't do anything wrong? I'm not bad for letting her..."

"Stop that right now Bo, you didn't let her, she had you cuffed to a bed and naked," Luke interrupted angrily. " She had already hurt you badly, there was nothing you could've done to stop her. Please believe me cousin, I ain't never lied to you before have I?"

"Nah, ya ain't never lied to me Luke, guess if you , Daisy and Uncle Jesse all say it ain't my fault, I ain't go no choice but to believe it. At least I'll try to believe it, but...I won't promise that I won't forget sometimes, okay?" Bo asked, looking at them both for the first time since they had entered the room.

"That's a start, just remember this too Bo, if you need to talk I'm always here for you, anytime."

"Same goes for me and Daisy sprout," Jesse told him, "now why don't you get dressed and you can go outside with Luke, maybe give him a hand with the General, I know he's missed having your help."

As the Duke family went about their routines over the next few days, trying to get back to normal and doing what they could to help Bo, they were unaware they had an audience. From the trees at the edge of the property, Kathy Sue watched them, hating them for taking Bo from her again. She wanted so badly to talk to Bo, to feel his arms around her again, but she couldn't get near him. They wouldn't let her, she didn't miss the way they never let Bo out of their sights, probably they knew he'd come to her if they did. How dare they keep Bo away from her, he was hers, they belonged together and she was going to find a way to get to him. "We'll be together again darling, I promise I won't let them keep us apart," Kathy Sue whispered as she watched Bo move around the farmyard. Wait, what was Bo doing, "oh thank you God," she smiled in anticipation, heading to the back of the barn to meet with Bo.

When Bo stepped around the corner of the barn he was surprised to see Kathy Sue waiting for him. "What are you doing here Kathy Sue?" he asked nervously, trying and failing to keep the fear from showing.

"What do you mean Bo? I'm here for you of course, we belong together, I thought you understood that."

"Kathy Sue you need to leave, just go away and leave me be, we don't belong together, you've got to accept that," Bo told her, starting to back away from her.

"No you're wrong Bo, you belong to me, and I can prove it," she denied as she stepped forward and ripped his shirt open. "I marked you Bo, you can't deny the truth, it's here on your chest so you'll never forget who you belong to. You'll never be with another woman after me darling, no woman would want a man who has been claimed by another, a man who would let himself be marked like that," she said, stabbing a finger at his chest.

"Bo!"

"Damn him, he's always showing up at the wrong time, I've got to go darling, but I'll be back. As long as you wear my mark, I'll never let you go," giving his chest a quick slap, she turned and ran back into the trees.

"There ya are, what are you doing back here Bo?" Luke turned to look in the direction that Bo was staring, wondering what had caught his attention. Turning back to his cousin he noticed for the first time that Bo's shirt was hanging open and there was an angry red mark on his chest. "Bo? What happened? She was here, wasn't she?" he asked in sudden realization.

"It's okay Luke, she didn't hurt me or anything. She just, she was trying to convince me we belong together, but she took off when she heard you coming," Bo tried to reassure him.

"That's it, I'm calling Rosco, she can't be coming up here like that, maybe they can lock her back up for coming around here." Luke hesitated, not sure how Bo would take his next words, "Bo, I don't think you should go anywhere alone until after the trial, not even here on the farm, okay?"

"Yeah okay," Bo agreed, not wanting to upset his family any further, and truth be told he didn't want to be alone right now anyway.

_Reaching out for Becky Lee, Bo tilted her head up and lowering his own he gently brushed his lips across hers. As the kiss deepened, he found his hands running up and down her body, of their own free will it seemed, enjoying the feel of her small hands as she carressed his chest through his shirt. Gently lowering her to the picnic blanket, he was surprised when she pulled his shirt open and suddenly pushed him away. "How dare you try to be with me when you already belong to somebody else," Becky screamed at him, slapping his face and jumping to her feet. Standing up and running after her he came to a stop when he saw who was in front of him. "I told you Bo, you belong to me, you're wearing my mark, no other woman will ever want you, not knowing what you let me do," Kathy Sue purred in pleasure, as Bo looked at her in terror. Opening his mouth to deny her claim, he found no words would come, when she came towards him he tried to step away, only to find his feet frozen to the ground. As Kathy Sue began to kiss him, he couldn't stop the tears when he found himself unable to stop her. Pushing him down onto the blanket, Kathy Sue began to remove his shirt, tracing the marks on his chest with one finger as she did so._

Jerking upright in his bed, it took Bo several minutes to get his breathing under control. Looking at Luke he was relieved to see his cousin was still asleep. Throwing back the covers, Bo made his way to the bathroom. After cleaning up, he found himself drawn to the mirror, staring at his chest. Slowly tracing the marks on his chest, Bo remembered Kathy Sue's words. The ones she spoke behind the barn and the ones in his dream, and he knew she was right. No woman would ever want him, knowing what he had let Kathy Sue do to him, seeing the marks. Marks he would have to live with for the rest of his life. The more he stared at himself in the mirror, the more he thought, the more he knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't live knowing that Kathy Sue had given him a constant reminder of what had happened. Couldn't take never being allowed to forget, thanks to the marks she had branded into his skin with her knife, but would he be able to do what was needed? Working up his nerve to carry out the solution to his problem, Bo headed to the barn, determined to take care of everything tonight. He knew it would upset his family, but better this than living the rest of his life being constantly reminded of what she had done to him. They would realize eventually that it was for the best.

Something had woke him, but Luke had no idea what, looking to Bo's bed he was surprised to see it empty. Remembering the doctor's warning, Luke went in search of his cousin, after searching the house and not finding him, he headed outside. Noticing a light coming from the barn, Luke headed in that direction, hoping that Bo was okay. Opening the door, he froze in shock at the sight before him, "NO!" he screamed in horror as his mind registered what he was seeing.

TBC

**Okay, y'all know what to do. Leave a review and tell me what you think. Reviews are food for the writers soul and I'm getting hungry again.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Violence, angst

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 8

Hearing Luke's cry, Bo turned in surprise towards the door, nearly dropping the object in his hand. "Luke, what are you doing out here?"

"Came looking for you, I was worried about ya cousin," Luke answered, slowly easing towards Bo and keeping a close eye on what he held. "Bo, you mind telling me what you're planning to do with that?" Luke asked, gesturing to his cousin's hand.

Bo looked down at what he held, unconsiously tightening his grip, afraid Luke would try to stop him. "I know you won't approve Luke, but...I can't live with these scars. I don't think I can handle going through life always being reminded of her, of what she did to me. Please Luke, don't try to stop me, please just let me do what I need to," Bo begged of his cousin, hoping he would understand.

Luke swallowed hard at the pain in Bo's voice, not sure what he should say to him. How could he help Bo to get past this while keeping him from hurting himself? Taking a few steps closer to Bo, Luke noticed the bucket of water at his cousin's side, relieved that Bo had at least taken some precautions to protect the livestock. Luke was sure that it had to be a good sign if Bo was able to think of others in his state of mind. "Bo I understand, I don't know if I could live with something like that either, but I can't let you do it cousin. I know it's got to be hard, probably the hardest thing you've ever faced, but I can't let you hurt yourself and you can't ask me to. It's not fair of you to ask me to do that Bo," As he finished speaking Luke took the last few steps to his cousin, grabbing Bo's wrist, trying to make him drop the red-hot strap iron he held.

"Luke let go, please Luke, I have to do this, please let me burn her marks away," Bo begged again. Twisting his wrist backwards, he very nearly managed to get away from Luke's grip, but his cousin was too fast for him.

Quickly adjusting his grip, Luke was just barely able to maintain his hold on Bo. Reaching down to take the hot metal from Bo's hand, he put his hand on the thick hand-towel his cousin had wrapped around it. That's when it happened, Bo twisted again trying to keep the iron and in trying to keep his own hold on the metal, Luke tripped over the propane torch that lay at their feet, pulling them both to the ground. "AHHHHH!" Luke screamed in pain, as the red-hot iron came into contact with his bare leg.

Backing up in horror, Bo dropped the hot metal in the bucket of water, not even noticing when Uncle Jesse and Daisy came running into the barn. "Luke! What's wrong, what happened?" Uncle Jesse cried out, kneeling down beside his nephew. "Daisy, go get some ice and a leaf from the Aloe plant," he instructed his niece when he saw the rapidly blistering burn on Luke's leg.

"I...I'm sorry Luke...oh God what've I done...I'm so sorry...so sorry..." Bo stuttered out, wrapping his arms around himself, beginning to rock back and forth, while repeating "sorry" again and again.

Looking up at Bo, Jesse was torn, he was worried about Luke's leg, but it was obvious that Bo needed him too.

"I'll be...fine Uncle Jesse...Bo needs ya more...more than I do...," Luke told his uncle through the pain, realizing that he wasn't sure who to help first.

Luckily Daisy chose that moment to return with a towel filled with ice along with the Aloe her uncle had requested. "Daisy, I need you to split the Aloe leaf and spread the gel on Luke's leg, then put that ice on the burn, I need to see to Bo." Patting Luke's shoulder, he slowly got to his feet and carefully approached Bo, so as not to spook him. "Bo, son, it's gonna be okay. Luke ain't hurt that bad, it's just a small burn he'll heal up just fine." Needing answers and wanting to make sure Bo didn't slip away from them again, Jesse started asking questions, "Bo can ya tell me what happened here? How did Luke get burned?"

At first Bo didn't respond to Jesse at all, causing them all to fear he had slipped back into the catatonic state they had only recently gotten him back from. Just as Jesse was about to go call the doctor, Bo started talking, "It's my fault...I...I didn't mean for Luke to get hurt. I just wanted to get rid of her initials...I can't...I'm sorry Luke...please don't hate me...please, I... Oh God she's right, I am worthless, can't do anything right. Heck I can't even fix my problems without hurting somebody else, guess I did dese..."

"Beauregard James Duke, don't you ever let me hear you talking like that again. Now I want you to calm down and tell me just exactly what happened out here tonight," Uncle Jesse ordered gruffly, refusing to let Bo blame himself.

Several deep breaths later and after Jesse hushed Luke when he tried to explain, Bo began. He told his uncle about the nightmare he'd had, and about going into the bathroom. Told him how he had stared into the mirror and traced the scars she had left him with, the scars he would always have to live with. "The more I looked Uncle Jesse, I just knew I couldn't live with them. It took me a little while to figure out what I could do and then I had to work my nerve up. Once I did I came out here to the barn and filled a bucket with water, then I used the propane torch to heat up a piece of strap iron. I was gonna burn over her initials, figured if I had to have a scar, I'd rather that than this one, I didn't even hear Luke till he yelled. He tried to get the iron away from me and well while we was fighting over it, he tripped and we fell...that's when he got burned. I'm sorry Uncle Jesse, I didn't mean to hurt Luke, I just...I just wanted it gone...just wanted to get rid of...," Bo trailed off, barely containing a sob.

Hurting more than he could say for his nephew, Jesse reached out and drew the younger man into a comforting hug. "Shhh...it's okay sprout, I know you didn't mean to hurt Luke...and he knows that too, but we don't want you to hurt yourself either. I know it's hard Bo, but please promise me you won't do anything like this again. I don't know how we'll do it, but we'll find a way to do something about the scars, I promise you son, if there's anything to be done, I'll find a way. Now I want your word as a Duke that you won't hurt yourself trying to get rid of those scars or the memories of what happened." When Bo didn't respond, Jesse drew back and placing his hand on Bo's face, turned his nephew away from where his cousin lay on the floor. "Your word as a Duke Bo, you won't hurt yourself..."

"I promise Uncle Jesse, I won't hurt myself again, I won't do anything to try and get rid of the scars or the memories. My word as a Duke," Bo promised, sorrier than he could say for the pain he saw in Jesse's eyes and on Luke's face, pain he had put there. Finally he found the courage to go to Luke, walking over to him, he dropped to the ground beside him. No words passed between them, but after a moment of silence Luke opened his arms and Bo grabbed him in a hug. "Sorry Luke, I won't do it again," he whispered in his cousin's ear.

" 'salright Bo, and you better not," was Luke's whispered response as he tightened his hold on his little cousin, thanking God he had gotten there in time to stop Bo.

"Come on you two, we need to get Luke into the house and you both need to get cleaned up,then we all need to get some more rest," Daisy told them. Waiting for Bo to get to his feet, she helped him to bring Luke to his feet and into the house, supporting his weight between them.

The next morning, just after breakfast the phone rang, Luke, who was sitting on the couch, one leg propped up on pillows, answered. "Hello Duke farm, Luke speaking."

"Hello Luke, this is Rosco, I need to talk to your Uncle Jesse."

"He just went outside Rosco, why don't you just tell me what it is?" Luke asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Well...I'm afraid I couldn't hold Kathy Sue past this morning, now the judge did issue a restraining order, but...well unless she violates it, there's nothing more I can do. I'm sorry Luke, I know y'all were wanting her locked up until the trial, but there just ain't no way, unless she does something else to hurt Bo..." Rosco trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"Damn it! I'm sorry Rosco, I know it ain't your fault, I just wish there was something else... It's just so frustrating and this is really hard on Bo, I don't want to see him get hurt again." Looking out the window, Luke watched Bo as he moved around the yard, wanting nothing more than to keep him safe. Turning away, he returned his attention to Rosco, "Sorry Rosco, I was distracted, could you repeat that?"

"That's okay Luke, I was just saying that me and Enos'll keep a close eye out to y'alls place and if Kathy Sue comes near the place or near Bo we'll arrest her for violating the restraining order," Rosco told him.

"Thanks Rosco, I appreciate it." Chuckling lightly at the irony of that, Luke continued, "Bet you never thought you'd hear a Duke being grateful for that, did ya?"

Smiling himself at the turn of events, Rosco just shook his head at Luke's words. "No, never would've believed it, but they say there's a first time for everything. Well I'll let you go now Luke, y'all take care and we'll stop that girl from causing more trouble or my name's not Rosco P. Coltrane, khee, khee, I'm gone."

A few minutes later Jesse came inside and Luke told him about the sheriff's call. As he gave his uncle the news, Luke silently vowed that Kathy Sue Shelton would never hurt his cousin again. "Uncle Jesse, before you go back out, could I talk to ya?"

"Sure Luke, what is it?" Jesse asked, taking a seat in the chair that faced the couch.

"I just wanted to say...I'm sorry I didn't do better. Dr. Appleby told us not to leave Bo alone for more than a couple of minutes, and I let him... I'm older than him, I'm supposed to look out for him, I failed and cause of that he almost hurt himself even worse than he already was," Luke looked down, unable to meet his uncle's eyes.

"Well if that don't just take the prize. Here you are feeling guilty cause you were so careless as to fall asleep and outside your cousin is feeling guilty for you getting hurt. Funny thing is the one person who ought to feel guilty is the only one who ain't, I ain't never seen anything like it and it stops now. You ain't got no reason to feel guilty Lucas K. Duke, you haven't done anything to hurt Bo and ya ain't gonna do him any good by beating yourself up. If you want to help Bo, you just be there for him, just like you've always been, if he'll talk to anybody it'll be you, and Lord knows he needs to talk to somebody. Now I'm going outside, I got chores to do, you just think about what I've said and stop this foolishness," Jesse told him, standing up and heading back outside. A few minutes later he had cornered Bo and given him a similar lecture, determined that Kathy Sue wouldn't hurt his kids again.

Kathy Sue paced her bedroom like a caged tiger, How dare they and that idiot sheriff just takes their word for it that I was trespassing. I'll bet he never even talked to Bo, never asked him how he feels about me. If he'd just talk to Bo, he'd know the truth. Bo would tell him that we belong together, that he wants to be with me, that it's where he belongs. But noooo, instead he just listens to the lies Bo's family tells him and arrests me, then that damn judge puts a restraining order on me. I swear they'll all pay for keeping Bo from me, I'll find a way to make them pay for what they've done and then we can be together forever darling, Kathy Sue promised as she picked up a framed picture of Bo and hugged it to her chest.

"Lawerence, what are we going to do to help Kathy Sue?" Pamela asked her husband as soon as she heard the door to Kathy Sue's room close.

"I don't know dear," Lawerence Shelton began, relieved that his wife realized Kathy Sue needed help. "I'm sure Mr. Pennington can convince the judge that Kathy Sue needs to be helped not imprisoned, we just..."

"What are you talking about Lawerence Shelton? Kathy Sue doesn't need that kind of help, what she needs is to be given the chance to talk to Bo. I'm sure he loves her as much as she loves him, it's just that his family keeps insisting on interfering. If Kathy Sue could just talk to him, I have no doubt he would tell the judge that he doesn't wish to press any charges against her, that it was all just a misunderstanding. I just cannot believe you Lawerence, she's your daughter, how can you believe the lies of those people over the word of your own flesh and blood. Kathy Sue told you what happened, don't you believe her?" Pamela asked, continuing on before he could answer. "I just don't understand you anymore, the man I married would never turn on his daughter like this. Well that's just fine Lawerence, you turn your back, you believe outsiders over your child, but I'll tell you this, I will never turn my back on her. I will be here for her and I'll help her to get Bo away from his family and by her side where he belongs," she vowed, turning and marching out of the room in anger.

Watching her go, Lawerence Shelton sighed in resignation. I should have known that she would side with Kathy Sue, I thought for a moment that she had finally come to her senses, how could I have been so foolish? I'm sorry Bo, I thought that Pamela would agree to get Kathy Sue some help, I wish I could've convinced her of the truth, he silently apologized, to the young man his daughter had set her sights on.

As she came out of her room, Kathy Sue heard the vow her mother had made, smiling in anticipation, knowing that with her mother's help everything would be okay. Her mother knew she loved Bo, she understood that they belonged together, You'll see Bo, just as soon as mama can arrange it, we'll be together again. I will have you, like it was meant to be, I promise you'll be mine again, looking down at the picture she still held, she traced Bo's face with a finger. "You're mine Bo, until death do us part," she whispered, a small smile forming on her pretty face, a smile that would have frightened her mother, had she seen it.

TBC

**Well, y'all know what to do now, please tell me what you think so far. Reviews welcomed, flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**

A/N: Yes I meant strap iron, it's pieces of iron of various lengths and widths, used for many things. Such as the bands on a barrell or the outside rim of a wagon wheel, just to mention two uses and you might very well find it on a farm.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst, violence

Rating: FRT

A/N: Thank you Nette for the observation that Kathy Sue is a few bottles short of a six-pack, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. ;) Thanks for the chuckle.

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 9

One week later:

Lawerence Shelton sat in his car, looking at the driveway just ahead of him. He thought back to his conversation with Sheriff Coltrane, he didn't want to believe what the sheriff told him, he hated to think his daughter could do that. "_Sheriff Coltrane I need to speak with you, if you have a moment," Lawerence said as he stepped into the sheriff's office._

_"Of course Mister Shelton, what can I do for you?" The sheriff had asked, his distaste for the Sheltons plainly heard._

_"Please sheriff, I know you probably think my wife and I condone what our daughter did, but hear me out." When the sheriff had nodded his agreement, Lawerence had proceeded to question the sheriff about the charges against his daughter. Feeling sick at what the sheriff revealed, not wanting to believe it, he then had headed to Dr. Appleby's office. It was there he came face to face with the reality of what Kathy Sue had done. Not only had the doctor told him about the abuse Bo Duke had suffered at his daughter's hands, he had shown him pictures of the boy's chest. He had seen for himself exactly what that poor boy had gone through, any hope he had held that his wife was right fell away in that moment._

Now here he sat, wondering if Jesse Duke would give him the chance to even speak. After what the sheriff and doctor had told him, he wouldn't blame the man if he shot him on sight, but he had to try. He couldn't let this go on, couldn't allow his wife to help Kathy Sue in her delusional quest to make Bo Duke her own. Steeling himself for the task ahead, he put the car in gear and slowly headed up the drive. When Lawerence pulled up next to Jesse's old pick-up, he was relieved to see that Jesse was outside and alone. Taking a deep breath, he approached Jesse, holding out his hand. He let it drop to his side a moment later when the older man made no move to take it. "Mr. Duke, I know you have no reason to speak to me but I would appreciate it if you would give me a chance to say my piece."

Jesse looked at Lawerence Shelton with distrust. "I'll listen to ya Mr. Shelton, but I'll tell ya right now if you think you're gonna talk us Dukes into dropping them charges against your daughter, it ain't gonna happen. I know you don't want to believe she done what she did, and I reckon I can understand that, but that won't make it go away. So say your piece and then you can go back to you daughter and tell her to stay away from my Bo."

Standing there in front of Jesse Duke, Lawerence suddenly felt like a little boy again. "Mr. Duke, first I want to say how sorry I am for what Kathy Sue did to Bo. I only wish that could be enough, but I know it is barely a beginning. I see I've surprised you, yes unlike her mother, I can admit that my daughter has problems. I cannot tell you how much I regret my failure to recognize that she needed help, I knew she had problems, however I didn't understand just how bad they were." Looking away from Jesse, unable to accept the compassion he saw there Lawerence needed a moment to adjust. He had expected anger, hatred, contempt, anything but this, he could only hope that the compassion he saw would be enough. "Mr. Duke although Bo and your entire family deserve an apology that is not my only reason for coming here today. You see, sir, last week my wife expressed to me her intention of helping Kathy Sue convince Bo to start seeing her again."

"WHAT? Well now you can just tell that wife of yours..."

Lawerence quickly interrupted, before Jesse could get too upset. "Please Mr. Duke, stopping my wife and daughter is exactly why I am here. You see, I had my doubts about Kathy Sue's story. She continues to insist that Bo wants to be with her, that it is your family, specifically Luke and Daisy that prevent it. However, I didn't believe the sheriff would arrest her without reason and I know that until a few months ago you never had a problem with their relationship. So you see the situation wasn't making sense and therefore I went to see the sheriff and Dr. Appleby today. Yes I know, I should've talked to them sooner, but better late than never and speak to them I did. Leaving me convinced that Kathy Sue needs help, the type of help her mother and I cannot give her at home. I am here to ask a favor of you, or more specifically of Bo. You see Mr. Duke, I believe the only way my wife will be convinced that our daughter needs help is if she talks to Bo. Perhaps even, I hesitate to ask, but I think if Bo were to show her the scars Kathy Sue left him with my wife would finally understand the truth."

Jesse sat down heavily in the bed of the pick-up, "Let me get this straight Mr. Shelton. You want me to ask that boy to relive the hell your daughter put him through, so your wife will know the truth. No! I won't do it, I will not ask that boy to go through that. You'll have to make her see the truth some other way, but I do thank you for the warning, and the apology, so I'll give you a warning. You tell that wife and daughter of yours that I won't let either of them hurt Bo again, if they come up here or come near my boy, they'll wish they hadn't. Now get off my property before I forget my manners!" Jesse growled, disgusted with this man. A man who would put an innocent young man through more hell, just so he wouldn't have to stand up and be a man for once in his life.

"Uncle Jesse, who was that?" Luke asked, coming out of the barn with his cousin. "Uncle Jesse!" Luke called again, raising his voice when Jesse failed to answer.

Turning around Jesse felt his heart sink, Bo looked more relaxed than he had in a while and now he'd have to ruin that. Dang that Lawerence Shelton, "That was Lawerence Shelton..."

"Wha...what did he want Uncle Jesse?" Bo hesitantly asked, afraid that Mr. Shelton had convinced his uncle that the things Kathy Sue had done were Bo's fault after all.

"He wanted to apologize for Kathy Sue's behavior and for not realizing sooner that she is as sick as she is."

When Jesse looked away, his jaw twitching in a way that Luke knew meant he was trying to control his temper, Luke knew there had to be more. Not sure he wanted to know, but if he was going to protect Bo, he'd have to hear it all, "Uncle Jesse, what else did he want?"

"You always were smart boy, sometimes too smart. He says Pamela thinks we're keeping Bo away from Kathy Sue, and she plans to help the girl convince Bo to get back with her. Bo!" Jesse yelled, seeing Bo pale at this news, he would've fallen if not for Luke grabbing him and helping him to the picnic table. "You're safe Bo, it's okay, we ain't gonna let them near ya, I promise sprout your cousins and me will keep you safe." Jesse told him, sitting beside him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "There's more, think you're up to it?" Waiting for Bo to decide if he could handle more, Jesse watched him carefully for any sign that he was pushing himself. No matter what, if he thought Bo was only doing what he thought was expected, he would wait to tell him.

"I'm not sure Uncle Jesse, but I guess I need to know, so go ahead," Bo told him, closing his eyes not wanting Luke or his uncle to see the fear in them.

"Well, he wanted you to talk to her, his wife I mean, tell her what happened. He's hoping it would convince her that Kathy Sue is sick and needs help, that she shouldn't be helping her with her plans. Don't you worry none Bo, I told him he'd have to find some other way to make her see the truth. You ain't gonna be talking to her and we won't let either of them hurt you sprout, you ain't got to be afraid none," Jesse reassured him. Giving the trembling shoulders a quick squeeze, Jesse suggested they go on inside and have some dinner, hoping it would take Bo's mind from Mr. Shelton's visit, and the news he'd given them.

Two days later Pamela Shelton called Jesse and asked him to meet her, so they could discuss the situation with the children. It hadn't been easy, Jesse had been quite reluctant to meet her, not wanting to upset Bo should he find out about it. Of course she had prevailed, as she had known she would, the deciding factor being when she suggested that he bring all three of his children with him. In this way Bo wouldn't feel as though he were going behind his back, and Jesse had, as she had known he would refused to bring Bo. Saying he wasn't up to leaving the farm, he did agree to meet her, along with Luke and Daisy, but all he would promise was to listen, beyond that he promised nothing.

Kathy Sue watched from the trees, smiling in anticipation when she saw Jesse and the others climbing into the old pick-up. Finally she would have the chance to speak to Bo, she knew that if she could just talk to him, he would come back to her. "Thank you mother, I knew if anybody could do it, it would be you. I'll be with you soon Bo, we'll be together again and this time nobody will keep us apart," Kathy Sue whispered to herself, as she made her way towards the farmhouse. Looking in through the window, she licked her lips at the sight of Bo sprawled out on the couch, quietly moving to the door, she softly stepped through. "Hello darling, happy to see me?" laughing in delight when Bo tumbled off the couch at the sound of her voice.

"Kathy Sue, what are you doing here?" Bo asked fearfully, hoping Luke's plan would work.

"Why Bo, you're here, where else would I be? I told you we belong together and now thanks to mother, I'll have the chance to prove that to you. Now stop being foolish and come home with me, where you belong."

"I am home Kathy Sue, I'm exactly where I belong and that sure ain't with you," Bo told her, having a hard time staying strong, even knowing he wasn't alone.

"Now Bo please don't make me hurt you," was Kathy Sue's response, pulling a gun from her purse and pointing it at Bo's chest. "I won't lose you again Bo, so I've made a decision...if I can't have you in this life, I'll have you in the next one, your choice."

"Bo Now!"

"Freeze!"

Luke and Rosco yelled at the same time as they stepped from the back room where they had been hidden. Luke let go the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when Bo dropped to the floor and the shot she fired missed.

"Now I said freeze missy, drop the gun...I won't tell you again...that's better," Rosco said, walking over to Kathy Sue, holstering his gun and slapping the cuffs on her. "Kathy Sue Shelton you're under arrest for attempted murder, you have the right to remain silent, you have the right..." Rosco continued with her rights as he led her outside to the car.

"You okay Bo?" Luke asked, as he reached down and helped Bo to his feet.

"Yeah...I...I guess so," Bo swallowed hard when he saw the hole in the wall directly behind him. Rushing to the bathroom, he couldn't keep from being sick at the thought of how close he'd come to dying. Wiping his face a moment later with the wet cloth Luke handed him, he glanced at his cousin and saw the worried look. "I'm okay Luke, really...it just kind of hit me when I saw the bullet hole. She was going to kill me, how could she think that's love? I don't understand it."

"I know Bo, I don't understand it either, I think her daddy's right, she needs help. I'm sorry you had to go through that cousin, I hated to ask it of ya, just couldn't think of any other way to keep you safe. And you are safe now, no way the judge will let her out now, not after this stunt, she'll be locked up until the trial you can bet on it." Helping his cousin to his feet, they stepped back into the living room just as Daisy, Uncle Jesse and Cooter came inside. "Hey y'all how did it go on your end?" Luke asked.

"Oh it went just fine Luke, that Mrs. Shelton was pretty mad when she seen Cooter here wearing your shirt and knew she'd been tricked. She tried to leave the diner, probably gonna warn Kathy Sue, but your cousin just grabbed her arm and pushed her into a seat. Says just sweet as can be 'now Mrs. Shelton why don't you just sit down here with us and share a nice glass of sweet tea, doesn't that sound nice?' Well what could she do, you know how she is, Daisy handled her just right, there weren't nothing that she could do without causing a scene. And she wasn't about to do that, so we just sat there, drinking tea and staring daggers at each other, until Enos came in and told her that Kathy Sue had been arrested and invited her to come along to the jail. Soon as they's gone we headed back here, are you boys alright?" Jesse asked, concerned by how pale Bo looked and Luke didn't look much better.

"We will be Uncle Jesse, guess we better tell you...she took a shot at Bo. Now don't worry she didn't come near him, just shook us both up a little," Luke hurried to assure them, when they all rushed forward to check on Bo.

Looking at his nephews Jesse was relieved to see that neither was harmed, at least not physically. He knew this had to be hard on both boys and he would have to make sure they didn't let her get to them. Luke, he knew would already be feeling guilty, after all it was his plan that had put Bo in danger and Bo. ...Well it couldn't be easy to know that somebody you had loved, could try to kill you rather than let you go. He just hoped that Bo wouldn't let what she had done keep him from ever trusting another woman, it would be hard to trust after what she put him through. Well Martha, looks like I've got my work cut out for me. I sure wish you were here with me girl, could sure use your help on this one, Jesse thought to himself. Trusting that God would give him the words he needed, he got started no time like the present. "Well Luke, looks like your plan worked, that girl ought stay locked up now until the trial. Your cousin will finally be able to move around without having to look over his shoulder, good job son."

"Good job? How can ya say that Uncle Jesse? My plan nearly got him killed..."

"Now Luke that's just foolish thinking, if not for your plan she might have succeeded in killing him. Ya said it yourself boy, if she couldn't get near him, she might get desperate, and desperate people do desperate things. Heck Luke if you hadn't come up with this, she still would've decided it'd be better to kill him than lose him. Only she probably would've used a rifle and shot from a distance or maybe she would've made a bomb, you can bet she would've done something. Something Bo wouldn't have had the chance to avoid and she would've killed him. You saved his life with that plan of yours, yeah he got shot at, but we had control over the situation, without your plan all of the control would've been hers."

"I...I hadn't thought of it like that, guess maybe I did good. I still wish...well guess we all wish that she hadn't shot at him, don't worry Uncle Jesse I won't let myself feel guilty. I'll remember that my plan worked and Bo is safe, that's what really matters, it's all that's important," Luke told him from his seat beside Bo.

"You okay sprout?"

Looking up, a glazed look in his eyes, it was obvious Bo hadn't really been listening to them, "Huh?"

"Come on Bo, I think you need to get some rest now, we'll talk later." Jesse gently answered his nephew. Pulling him to his feet, he got Bo back to his room and with Luke's help tucked him into the bed. "Luke, go get Bo a little shine, it'll help with the shock." Returning a few minutes later, Luke handed Jesse a small glass with some of Jesse's finest. Slipping an arm behind Bo's shoulders, Jesse helped him to sit up and take a few sips of the whiskey. Tucking him back in when he was done and sitting with him until he fell asleep, Jesse hoped the boy would better when he woke up. Brushing the hair back from Bo's face, he couldn't help thinking how young he looked, lying there asleep and he wondered again how that girl could have hurt him. "Lord I know you have your reasons for allowing the things you allow, but I ask you Lord please don't let my boy be hurt any more than he already has. He's been through so much, more than anybody should ever have to go through, help him lord, keep him safe and give him the strength he'll need in the weeks to come. I ask one more favor lord, not for me, but for him, help him to learn to trust again, don't let the actions of one girl ruin his life. Amen."

TBC

Okay y'all, guess you know what's coming up soon. So let me know what you think and while you're at it tell me what would you like to have happen to Kathy Sue?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, making no money, just cheap thrills.

Warning: Angst

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 10

It was the sound that woke him. Instantly awake, Luke listened closely, afraid that she had escaped. "No, 'm sorry...please..." he heard his cousin softly speaking. Realizing that the only danger was in Bo's dream, he moved towards Bo's bed.

"Bo, wake up...you're safe Bo." Luke called to his cousin, shaking his arm and hoping to wake him from the nightmare.

Blue eyes met blue, one set filled with fear the other with concern, a moment later Bo came fully awake. Recognizing the bedroom he shared with Luke, and seeing his older cousin sitting beside him, Bo knew he was safe. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake ya."

"It's okay Bo,"Luke assured him, reaching out to brush the hair out of Bo's eyes. "Not your fault you're having nightmares. You okay now?" When Bo only nodded his response, Luke's concern grew, "Ya know if you need to talk, I'm here...I want to help you Bo, if you'll let me."

"I know Luke, and I appreciate it,...just not sure I'm ready yet."

"I guess I understand that, I can't begin to imagine what you feel like, but just remember Bo, when you're ready I'll be here." Luke told him once more, before giving his shoulder a supportive squeeze and heading back to his own bed. He lay awake for more than an hour, waiting for Bo to fall back asleep, and hoping Bo would let him help him to heal.

For the next several days life gradually returned to normal, though none of them could help noticing the way Bo's eyes were always moving. Even when he was speaking to one of them, his eyes would constantly move around the area, watching for her, as though he expected to see her coming for him again. It broke their hearts that all they could do was pray and watch while Bo tried to move on with his life.

Watching his nephew, Jesse hated the fear he saw in Bo's eyes, though Bo did his best to hide it. He wished he knew how to help him, but the only thing he could offer was prayer and a shoulder to lean on. He hoped that the trial would help his nephew to heal; if he made it through testifying against Kathy Sue.

"Just leave me alone Luke!" The sudden shout brought Jesse out of his thoughts, just in time to see Bo take off for the woods, probably headed for the creek. Seeing Luke about to take off after him, Jesse stopped him with a hand on his arm and a quick word. Walking away from Luke, Jesse slowly made his way down to the creek, giving Bo a chance to pull himself together. He watched Bo for a few minutes, as he stood there skimming stones across the water, lost in thought. Jesse knew this was almost a ritual for Bo, whenever he had a fight with one of his cousins, or a problem too big to handle on his own, he could be found here. Skimming stones and thinking about whatever had brought him here, until Jesse or Luke would tire of watching him and get him talking.

Stepping out of the trees, Jesse wasn't surprised when Bo stopped skimming stones and turned to him. He always had seemed to know whenever one of them was there. "You want to talk about it Bo?"

"Not really, but I guess I ought to. Probably ought to apologize to Luke too." Bo replied in a soft, tired voice.

"Well now I can't tell you to apologize, could be Luke's the one who should be apologizing. Why don't you tell me what happened, maybe together we can figure it out," Jesse suggested.

"Nah, I was out of line, Luke's just trying to help is all. Uncle Jesse, when am I gonna stop being so scared?" Bo asked, sounding for all the world like a lost little boy.

Jesse didn't say anything at first, deciding to take a moment and pray for guidance before he spoke. "I wish I could answer that for you Bo. Heck, I'd give anything if I could just make your fears go away, but no matter how much I want to, I can't do it. You're the only one who can do that sprout, I do think that a lot of those fears will start going away once the trial's over with." Seeing Bo hunch forward, looking defeated and lost, Jesse hoped God would give the boy the strength he would need. "So you gonna tell me about it?"

"Luke was trying to get me to talk about it...I know he's just trying to help Uncle Jesse but it's hard to talk about. I'm not even sure how I feel, how am I supposed to tell Luke or anybody else about it? ...And he don't understand anyway, he thinks I should be wanting to send her to prison, guess he's probably right about that. What's wrong with me Uncle Jesse? I hate all of the things she did to me, but the thought of telling the judge and sending her away to be locked up..." Bo trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"There ain't nothing wrong with you Bo. The way I see it, how you're feeling is natural, yeah she did a lot of really bad things to ya. Hurt you in ways that me and your cousins won't ever really understand, but for a while you loved her and that's the part of you that doesn't want to see her locked up. Nothing wrong with feeling that way boy, but I don't suppose Luke sees it that way does he?" Bo looked at him in surprise, but didn't answer other than to shake his head. "That what happened, you tried to tell him about not wanting to lock her up and he...?"

"He called me a dang fool, asked me if I thought I deserved what she did to me. He was pretty mad about it, not that I blame him any, it don't make much sense to me, so how could it to him? So he said...he said that if I didn't testify against her, not to expect him to stand by and watch her kill me." Jumping to his feet, Bo walked a few feet away from Jesse, before turning to face him again. "Uncle Jesse I never said I wasn't gonna testify, just don't want to. How am I gonna make Luke understand that?"

"Why don't you let me talk to Luke? I don't think either one of you can stay calm enough to talk to each other right now," Uncle Jesse suggested.

"You're probably right Uncle Jesse,...I'd sure appreciate it," the pure gratitude in his voice, causing an ache in Jesse's heart.

Leaving Bo at the creek, Jesse headed back to the house to find Luke. Coming back into the yard, he wasn't really surprised to see Luke hurrying towards him, the worry plain to see. "Bo's fine Luke, he just needs some time alone. Why don't you come on over here and we'll have a talk," Jesse said, taking Luke by the arm and leading him towards the picnic table.

"Uncle Jesse are you sure Bo's gonna be okay? I'm sorry I upset him I didn't mean to, ya got to believe me," Luke told him while they headed to the table.

"I know ya didn't mean to Luke, and Bo knows that too. You're just worried is all, he understands that,...but Luke, son, ya got to try and see this from Bo's point of view. He's gonna testify against that girl, but that don't mean he wants to. He loved her boy, for a while and it hurts him to think of what she done to him and there's a part of him doesn't want to see her locked up. Now hush up, I'm not done. He knows that she needs to be locked away where she can't hurt him or nobody else, but that part of him that loved her makes it real hard to do. You getting mad at him and saying things like what you did ain't helping none, and I know you want to help. I'm thinking that's why ya got so dang mad in the first place, ain't it?" When Luke wouldn't even look at him, Jesse knew he was getting through to him, that boy never did like facing his own shortcomings. "You never have been able to stand seeing someone you love hurting and being helpless to do anything for them. That there's not really a bad thing Luke, but you can't be taking that frustration out on the person you're wanting to help, that always has been a problem for you. Luke, I know it's hard, but ya got to find a way to work out that frustration without taking it out on Bo. That girl hurt him in ways that we'll never be able to understand and more deeply than he's ever been hurt before, I don't think he'll get through this if he thinks you're mad at him. I know it's hard to think of Bo as fragile or vulnerable, but right now he is just that and what he needs more than anything is the strength to survive the trial, so's he can heal. You want to help your cousin Luke, that's how you do it, lend him your strength until he's got his own built back up,"Jesse advised, patting his nephew's back and leaving him to think about what he'd said.

When Bo returned a while later, neither of the boys said anything, they didn't need to. One look and they both knew the fight was over, that each had forgiven the other and was ready to move on. Smiling for the first time in days, Bo headed over to the General and started tinkering under the hood, relieved when Luke joined him a minute later.

Bo left the courthouse using every ounce of control he had to keep from running. The meeting with the prosecutor had been horrible. How was he going to testify against her, when he could barely answer one man's questions, and only Luke in the room with them? He wanted to jump into the General and take off, but Luke had the keys and would probably get mad if he just took off and left him. So instead he headed over to Cooter's garage, maybe L.B. would be there. He hadn't seen any of his friends in weeks, and L.B. always was pretty good at cheering him up with his jokes and carrying on like he did. Hearing L.B's voice, he smiled, good he is here, then he heard the words. "I just don't understand it Cooter, Billy said that his sister told him that Kathy Sue had raped Bo. But that can't be true, can it? I mean, they was together for a long time and she's real pretty, 'sides how can it be rape if he's willing, and he had to be willing. Didn't he?"

The shock Bo felt at his friends words was nothing compared to the hurt. Turning around he headed back to the courthouse, struggling to keep the tears back.

"L.B., sometimes I'm ashamed to say you're my cousin. Thought you was Bo's friend?" Cooter asked, coming out from under the car he was working on.

"I am his friend Cooter, but that don't answer my question."

"You mean didn't he have to be willing? Or if it's true that she raped him? Which reminds me, just how does Billy's sister know any of this stuff anyway?" Cooter asked, getting exasperated with his cousin.

"I done told ya Cooter, she works at the hospital and was there when Bo was brought in. Now are ya gonna answer my question or not?" L.B. asked, getting frustrated himself.

"Alright L.B. I'll answer you're question, with one of my own. How many times a day do you get... um, excited over nothing? There's your answer, you's a kid L.B. and so is Bo, just cause he mighta reacted to that girl don't mean she didn't force herself on him. And I ain't saying she did, I've heard the rumors too buddyrow, but I don't know if it's true and I ain't gonna ask neither. I'll tell ya this though, if Bo is your friend you need to be thinking about how you can help him instead of gossiping about him."

"Bo? You okay cousin?" Luke asked, when he found his cousin heading back to the courthouse. He hadn't been this relieved since Bo had woke up from that catatonic state. When he had come outside after his cousin and couldn't find him, he had felt the fears for his cousin coming to the surface. He had been relieved to see the General parked where they had left him, at least Bo wasn't trying to drive. As upset as he was, that was the last thing he needed to be doing, but that didn't help him figure out where Bo had gone. If he was honest with himself, what scared him was the thought that Bo might have gone somewhere to hurt himself. Luke knew that Bo had promised Uncle Jesse he wouldn't, had given his word as a Duke, but right now he was upset and hurting, and Luke wasn't sure he would remember that promise. Seeing the look on Bo's face, the tears shimmering in his eyes, he felt the relief at finding his cousin being replaced by worry. "Bo what's wrong? Are ya still upset about that meeting with Mr. Williamson?"

"No, I ain't upset 'bout that Luke. Can we just go home, please?" Bo begged his cousin, afraid that he would break down there and then, in front of God and everybody.

"Sure Bo, we can go, come on," Luke answered, leading his cousin back to the car and climbing in through the driver's window. As soon as they were out of town Bo broke down. Helping Bo the only thing on his mind, Luke twisted the wheel and turned onto a side road, quickly bringing the General to a sliding stop he turned to Bo. Not sure what to do, he did the only thing that made sense, wrapping his arms around his younger cousin, he just held him while the tears flowed, and quickly became powerful sobs. As the sobs tore through Bo's body, Luke kept a tight hold on him, rubbing soothing circles on his back, not asking any questions until the sobs began to slow. "Bo? Please talk to me, tell me what has you so upset, if it ain't the meeting we just had?"

Drawing back from Luke, Bo turned away and stared out the side window, ashamed of breaking down like he had. I can't believe I did that, bawling like a little kid in my cousin's arms. He must think I'm weak, heck he's right I am weak, letting a few words make me fall apart.

"Bo, come on please, let me help. Tell me what's wrong," Luke begged his cousin.

"I...I'm sorry Luke, I just...I know you don't want to hear it but Kathy Sue's right, I am worthless. Don't Luke, don't tell me I ain't, what do ya call a man who can't even talk about the past without getting upset. What would you call it when I break down like a baby, just cause of a few words from a friend. It ain't like I haven't thought it myself, so why does it get me all upset to hear him say it, unless she's right and I am worthless." Bo chanced a look at his cousin, before looking away again the shame of his breakdown, the shame of his actions with Kathy Sue too much to take.

"Bo, what are ya talking about? What friend and what did this friend say?"

"When I left the courthouse I's real upset, I thought about taking the General but you had the keys and I figured you'd get mad if I hotwired him and left ya stranded. So I headed over to Cooter's, thought maybe L.B. might be there, I ain't seen him in a while and he's always been able to cheer me up." Turning back to Luke, Bo tried to keep control while he finished his story. "He was there alright, talking to Cooter,...Luke he knew about what she did to me, there's rumors around town. But that ain't what's got me upset, I figured it wouldn't stay a secret, no matter how much I want it to. It was what he asked Cooter, he wanted to know how it could be ra...rape if I's willing, he thinks I wanted what she did, like I said ain't like I haven't wondered that. I'm sorry I broke down Luke, sorry I'm so weak, can't even handle the truth..."

"Beauregard James Duke, you don't have anything to apologize for and what L.B. said ain't the truth. We've talked about this Bo, you can't help how you reacted, that don't mean you wanted it or that it was your fault. Breaking down don't mean you're weak either, hell Bo I'd be shocked if you didn't break down from time to time. She put you through the wringer cousin, she took every bit of control away from you, she took a beautiful thing and made it ugly. I don't know how anybody could live through that and not have it get to them, please Bo don't think you're weak or worthless. I'm telling you cousin, I've been through a war, I've seen people do some pretty amazing things when they had to, but you are... Bo you're the strongest man I've ever known, to survive what she did and remain sane takes a strength that very few people have. I'm proud of you cousin, more proud than I could ever find words for," Luke smiled sadly at the surprise on Bo's face.

"You...you really mean that don't ya Luke?" Bo whispered, awed that his cousin, the cousin he had always looked up to felt that way about him.

"You bet I do Bo."

"Thanks Luke, I can't believe you think I'm strong, but I'll try to live up to that. I don't ever want you to be ashamed of me, I want you to always be proud of me. Let's go home now, okay?" Bo asked, sounding much calmer than he had before.

"Yeah let's, and then I'm gonna go have a talk with L.B," Luke vowed.

"No Luke, please don't, he didn't know I was there and ya can't get mad at him for wondering. Like I said I've wondered it myself and I was the one it happened to, so...please just let it go. Besides knowing Cooter he'll probably set him straight, if he hasn't already," Bo told him, not wanting to cause anymore trouble.

"Alright, but if I hear him saying anything like that again, I will make sure and set him straight. Guess we better get home now though, Jesse's probably wondering what's keeping us and he needs to know the trial date's been set for next week." Turning the key and bringing the powerful car to life, Luke turned around and headed to the farm, praying for the strength to help his cousin through the days to come.

TBC.

I really appreciate all of the wonderful reviews, please keep them coming.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst

There won't be any action in this chapter, it's time for the trial.

Rating: FRT

A/N: I'd like to thank Jade for her help with the trial. She helped keep me on track in regard to the defense strategy.

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 11

Luke watched Bo tossing and turning in his bed, probably thinking about the trial starting tommorrow. "Can't sleep?" Luke whispered, having grown tired of watching his cousin's battle for sleep.

"Just can't get comfor...aw heck, that ain't true Luke. I can't quit thinking about tommorrow, I just wish it was over with. Wish I didn't have to testify at all. ...Luke I don't think I can do this, I can't figure out how I'm supposed to tell all those people what she did. What if they think I deserved it?" Bo managed to ask Luke, in spite of the lump in his throat.

Feeling that Bo probably needed the closeness, Luke left his own bed and moved to sit on Bo's. Reaching out a hand to brush back the hair from his cousin's face, Luke cursed Kathy Sue for the pain she had caused Bo. "Bo, ain't nobody with any sense gonna think you deserved what she did to you. Look at me cousin, you don't have anything to be ashamed of, she's the one who should be ashamed. I don't blame you for not wanting to testify, guess I wouldn't want to either, but if you don't she gets away with what she did. You don't want that do you?"

"Nah,...you really don't think anybody will blame me?" Bo asked, trying desperately to keep the fear from his voice.

"I won't lie to you Bo. What I said is nobody with any sense, but you know there will be people who think you must have done something wrong. But those people don't matter Bo, or they shouldn't. I'll tell ya cousin, if they can listen to what she did to you and think you deserved it... Well I wouldn't want to have anything to do with people like that. The people that matter, your friends and family they know you didn't do anything wrong, and the rest of them don't matter." Luke paused, considering what to say next, before he could, Bo pulled him in for a hug.

"Thanks Luke, I needed to hear that," Bo whispered, before releasing his hold. "Uncle Jesse and Daisy have been great, but they keep trying to tell me nobody will blame me, and I knew that wasn't true. ...Guess we better both try to get some sleep, huh? Go on back to bed Luke, I'll be okay now, thanks to you."

"You sure?" Luke asked, moving back to his own bed when Bo nodded his answer.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you are here today to hear testimony in the case of The People of the State of Georgia vs. Katherine Sue Shelton. Now you will hear witnesses, including the victim testify that Ms. Shelton, committed a series of crimes against her former boyfriend Beauregard Duke. For the record these crimes are: kidnapping, assault, rape and attempted murder. Ladies and gentlemen, the defense will attempt to claim that Ms. Shelton was insane at the time of committing these crimes. They will attempt to convince you that the victim drove her to these extreme measures. Ladies and gentlemen, nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that Ms. Shelton knew exactly what she was doing and Beauregard Duke is the victim not the cause of these crimes. By the end of this case, we will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ms. Shelton is guilty on all counts and deserves to be incarcerated for her crimes. Thank you."

Mr. Williamson finished his opening remarks to the jury and returned to his seat, turning the floor over to the defense.

Mr. Pennington, the attorney for Kathy Sue sat at the defense table for several moments, as though gathering his thoughts. Finally rising to his feet, he approached the jury box. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my esteemed colleague has stated that my client has committed some terrible crimes. He claims that my client was very much aware of her actions at the time of taking them. I submit to you that he is wrong, we will not dispute that these crimes occurred, but we will prove that Kathy Sue was not in her right mind when they occurred. We will prove her innocence as a result of mental defect. How will we prove such a thing you ask? Why with the testimony of the victim himself, by the time this trial is completed you will have no doubt that my client was unaware she was committing a crime, and you will have to find her not guilty. Thank you," Mr. Pennington concluded and returned to his seat beside Kathy Sue.

"Order," Judge Avery called, banging his gavel on the bench in front of him. He wasn't surprised that the defense attorney's remarks had caused an uproar, but he couldn't allow it in his courtroom. "Mr. Williamson, are you ready to proceed?"

"Yes your honor, the prosecution calls Dr. Amos Appleby to the stand." Mr. Williamson waited while Dr. Appleby made his way to the witness stand and was sworn in. "For the record could you please state your name and occupation?"

"Yes sir, my name is Amos R. Appleby and I am a doctor."

"Thank you Dr. Appleby. Now doctor on the date in question did you have any contact with a Beauregard Duke?"

"Yes sir, I did."

"And what was the nature of that contact?"

"I treated him in the emergency room of Tri-County Hospital for a variety of injuries."

"Would you please tell the court exactly what type of injuries you treated Mr. Duke for?"

"When Bo ...uh Mr. Duke was brought into Tri-County he was in a state of shock. He had numerous bruises and small cuts covering his chest and sides. His chest and stomach were covered with welts from what appeared to be a belt. These were not the worst injuries however. Somebody used a knife and cut the initials KSS into Mr. Duke's chest and there was evidence of a sexual assault."

"How did Mr. Duke explain these injuries to you, doctor?"

"He didn't, when he was brought into the emergency room he was as I stated in a state of shock. This was not however physical shock, it was emotional. As a result of the trauma he had endured, Mr. Duke remained in a semi-catatonic state for a period of two weeks. It was only upon awakening from that state that he was able to confirm that he was in fact sexually assaulted."

"Dr. Appleby, did Mr. Duke tell you who had inflicted these injuries on him?"

"Objection, hearsay your honor." Mr. Pennington called out, coming to his feet.

"Your honor this is not hearsay, Dr. Appleby was given this information in the course of a medical examination of the victim, thereby allowing the testimony."

"Objection over-ruled, please answer the question Dr. Appleby," Judge Avery instructed.

"He said that Kathy Sue Shelton had been the one who hurt and sexually assaulted him."

"Thank you doctor, no further questions," Mr. Williamson ended his questioning and returned to his seat.

Rising from his own seat, Mr. Pennington approached the witness. "Dr. Appleby, in your opinion as a medical professional, are these the actions of a sane individual?"

"Well sir, they're certainly not the actions of anybody who's normal?" Dr. Appleby asked, not bothering to hide his irritation with the question.

"Objection your honor, the witness is a medical doctor and is not qualified to judge the defendant's sanity.

"Objection sustained, the jury is instructed to disregard the last statement."

"No further questions your honor," Mr. Pennington stated, turning away from the witness stand.

"Very well, you may step down, call your next witness Mr. Williamson."

"The prosecution calls Lukas K. Duke to the stand."

"Please state your full name and your relationship to the victim, for the record."

"Lukas K. Duke and Bo is my cousin."

"Thank you Mr. Duke. Now Mr. Duke can you tell me, in your own words the events leading up to your cousin's admittance to Tri-County hospital?"

"Yes sir, well the first we knew anything was wrong was when our friend Cooter called and said he had found our car the General Lee abandonded. When I got there, me and Cooter started searching and I found some shell casings that had been fired recently, Cooter had already looked around for Bo with no luck. So when I found the shells, I figured somebody must've kidnapped him and when Uncle Jesse got there we divided up and started searching. The next day me and my cousin Daisy were out searching when we ran into Hobie. He told us he had seen Bo the day before and he was with a girl but he looked sick. Well we knew that Kathy Sue had hurt Bo when they were dating so we figured maybe she was the girl Hobie had seen.

"Objection your honor, hearsay."

"Objection sustained, Mr. Duke please confine yourself to events you personally witnessed."

"Yes sir. Well soon as we got back into the car, we head to the Shelton's, when Kathy Sue opened the door we told her we knew she had been with Bo and that we wanted to know where he was. She wouldn't tell us so I held onto her, while Daisy started looking through the house. A few minutes later, Daisy screamed for me and I was sure she must have found Bo dead. When I got to the bedroom I saw Bo handcuffed to the bed and he looked like he was, well it's hard to describe but he looked lost. Well I was so surprised that Bo was alive that I let go of Kathy Sue, but Daisy stopped her from getting away while I found the keys and let Bo loose. After that I held Kathy Sue while Daisy went and called the sheriff and an ambulance. It was when Rosco got there that I found out about the cuts, Rosco pulled the cover back and after he saw Bo's chest he cuffed Kathy Sue and read her rights to her. A minute later the ambulance got there and they took Bo to the hospital."

"Mr. Duke, when you arrived at the Shelton home, was there anybody else present?"

"No sir, the only ones there were Kathy Sue and my cousin Bo."

"Mr. Duke, Dr. Appleby has testified that Beauregard was in a semi-catatonic state for two weeks. Could you tell us what that was like and what occurred when he woke up?"

"It was awful, he wouldn't talk to anybody and I was the only one he'd eat for. Daisy couldn't even get near him, every time she did he started shaking. It was hell for all of us, but I guess that was what he needed to heal some. After he woke up we found out the reason he was shaking whenever Daisy got near was cause he was afraid she hated him for what had happened to him. A few days after he woke up, Kathy Sue managed to get him alone and I don't know what she said but it got him upset. That night he had a nightmare, I woke up and found him gone. When I went looking for him I found him in the barn, he had used a propane torch to heat up a piece of strap iron and was...he was about to put it on his chest. I was able to stop him, but it wasn't easy and it hurt to know that he was so desperate to be rid of her initials he would rather burn himself to cover those scars she left him with." Luke told the courtroom, trying his best to keep the tears from falling, though despite his best efforts a couple escaped.

"Was there any further contact between Ms. Shelton and your cousin?" Mr. Williamson asked.

"Yeah a few days later, Kathy Sue came to the house when she thought Bo was alone. She told him that if she couldn't have him in this life, she'd have him in the next. Then she took a shot at him, but he ducked and she missed. After that Rosco made her drop her gun and he arrested her,...again."

"Thank you Mr. Duke, no further questions."

"Mr. Pennington, do you have any questions for this witness?"

"Yes sir, I do. Mr. Duke you stated that my client and your cousin were the only people present in the house when you arrived. How do you know that?"

"Well they were the only ones I saw, how do you think I know?" Luke growled, having a feeling where Mr. Pennington was headed.

"Mr. Duke I've been to the Shelton home, it's a rather large home. How can you be certain there was no one else present? Someone who perhaps was the true perpetrator of these heinous acts against your cousin."

"Because Daisy searched the house before she found Bo, if there had been anybody else she would have seen them."

"So you are certain that Ms. Shelton, perpetrated these acts that one could only describe as insane."

"Yes sir, but I don't know that she's..."

"Your honor would you please instruct the witness to answer only the question put to him?"

"Mr. Duke that is enough, you are dismissed."

Luke looked at the judge in disbelief, he couldn't believe the judge was going to let that slimeball get away with twisting the truth like that. When he realized that the judge wasn't going to change his mind, he jumped to his feet and angrily left the courtroom. By the time Luke had finished his testimony it was lunch time and the judge called a two hour recess.

That afternoon when court resumed, Daisy was the first person called to the stand.

"Miss Duke, could you tell the court what you found at the Shelton home on the day in question?" Mr. Williamson asked.

"Well when Luke and me got there, Kathy Sue claimed she didn't know where Bo was but we didn't believe her. So Luke kept her at the door and I started searching, I was hoping I'd either find Bo or something to tell us where he was. When I found him he was laying on a bed and his hands were cuffed to it. He was covered in blood and bruises and he was naked. I was pretty sure that she had forced herself on him and I didn't figure he'd want anybody to see him like that, so I covered him up. When I did he flinched away from me, but he never said a word, just kept staring off into space. I don't know when but at some point I screamed for Luke and he came in with Kathy Sue. Well when he saw Bo he let go of her, and when it looked like she was going to try to leave I stopped her."

"Stopped her how?"

"I hit her, I don't know how many times, as many as it took to make sure she wouldn't get away." Daisy answered, glaring at Kathy Sue the entire time.

"Then what happened Miss Duke?"

"Luke came over and took a hold of her again and I went and called Rosco and an ambulance. Then I went back and stood guard over Kathy Sue, while Luke took care of Bo. After Rosco took her away the ambulance crew loaded Bo up and took him to the hospital."

Mr. Williamson asked a few more questions, similar to what he had asked Luke earlier. Afterwards, Mr. Pennington cross-examined Daisy, trying to paint doubt in the minds of the jury. Being careful, as he had with Luke to steer away from the events in the barn and the attempted murder, knowing that only made Kathy Sue look worse. After Daisy testified, Rosco was called to the stand. Both attorney's questioned the sheriff as to the events at the Shelton home and the events at the Duke farm several weeks later. As soon as Rosco's testimony was complete, the judge adjourned court for the day. When court reconvened the next day they would hear testimony from Jesse and Bo.

The next day when court convened, Jesse was the first person called to testify. As he hadn't been present at either attack and had not been the one to find Bo, his testimony didn't take long.

"Mr. Williamson call your next witness."

"The prosecution calls Beauregard Duke to the stand." As soon as Bo was seated and sworn in the questioning began. "Mr. Duke could you please state your name for the record."

"Yes sir, my name is Beauregard Duke, but I go by Bo," he answered nervously.

"Alright Bo, now I know this is difficult for you, but could you please tell the court what happened between you and Katherine Sue Shelton? In your own words."

"Well...um...me and Kathy Sue started dating senior year. At first it was real nice, but after awhile she started putting me down and then she started shoving me and slapping me. Well I couldn't hit her back, that wouldn't have been right and I guess I started thinking I deserved it, so I just kept dating her. Then my cousin Luke came home from the Marines and when he saw what was going on him and Uncle Jesse and my cousin Daisy convinced me that it was wrong. So I broke up with Kathy Sue, I didn't see her for a couple of months, then a couple of days before she kidnapped me I ran into her. I was on my way home and she's waiting on me..." Bo continued with his testimony, telling the jury everything that had happened to him at Kathy Sue's hands. When he had finished telling them everything, including the murder attempt that happened at the farm, he thought it was over. He was caught off guard when Mr. Williamson asked him another question.

"Bo could you tell us what you were thinking that night in the barn, when you attempted to burn yourself?"

Gasping in surprise it took Bo a moment before he could continue. "I wasn't really thinking straight, mostly I was just thinking that I didn't want to carry her marks no more. She told me earlier that day, that I belonged to her and that nobody would ever want to be with me as long as I had her marks on me. When I had a nightmare about it, about always belonging to her, I just knew that I had to get rid of her marks. I knew it would hurt a whole lot, but I...I just wanted to be free of her, that's all, I just wanted to be free." With those words Bo lost the battle and broke down.

"Your honor I'd like to request a twenty minute recess." Mr. Williamson requested of the judge.

"Court is recessed for thirty minutes. Baliff, help Mr. Duke to the witness room please."

It took all of Bo's energy to put one foot in front of the other as the baliff led him to the witness room. As soon as the door shut behind him, he collapsed into Uncle Jesse's arms. Jesse wanted to tell Bo that it would all be okay, but he couldn't do that. He had never lied to his kids before and he wasn't going to start now. He knew that yes it would be better eventually, but not right now and it would never be okay. Only better and that would take time. So he held Bo in his arms, and allowed him to sob out his fear and hurt. When Bo finally stopped crying, Jesse pulled back from him and tilted Bo's face up. "Feel better now?"

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks, sorry for carrying on like that," Bo apologized, looking away from his uncle in shame.

"You ain't got nothing to apologize for sprout. If anybody's got a right to break down it's you. Now you hold your head up boy, you got nothing to be ashamed of." When Bo finally looked at Jesse on his own, Jesse smiled, letting Bo see the pride shining in his eyes. "You done testifying?"

"No sir, judge just called a recess, give me a chance to calm down I guess." Just then the baliff knocked on the door and told them court was back in session. When Bo returned to the witness stand he was surprised to find that Mr. Pennington had no questions for him. He supposed it was like Mr. Williamson had told him last week , the defense would want him off the stand as soon as possible to keep the damage to their case to a minimum. After that the prosecution rested their case and the judge called recess until after lunch.

Returning from lunch, the defense called only one witness to the stand. "Your honor the defense calls Miss Katherine Sue Shelton to the stand."

"Miss Shelton could you for the record state your full name."

"Yes sir, my name is Katherine Sue Shelton, though I am generally called Kathy Sue." Kathy Sue answered sweetly.

"Now Kathy Sue, could you tell us did you date Bo Duke during your senior year of high school?"

"Yes sir I did, until his family broke us up."

"You say his family broke you up? Kathy Sue, Bo has testified that you were abusive towards him, is that true?"

"Why I don't know what he means by abuse. Of course sometimes I had to punish him, it is a woman's duty to guide a man. To make sure that he makes the most of himself, without a strong woman to push him, a man would just spend all of his time hanging out with his friends."

"So you don't think you were abusive?"

"Of course not, why that is just the most riduculous thing I ever heard," Kathy Sue protested indignantly.

"Of course, and after your break up, when you took Bo to your home. Why was that?"

"We belong together, I had to convince him of that and I knew the only way I could do that was to get him alone."

"Kathy Sue, did you beat and cut Bo Duke? Carving your initials into his chest? Did you rape him?"

Mr. Pennington demanded, shocking the courtroom into stunned silence.

"I had to, I didn't want to hurt him, but he had to be punished for leaving me. Bo understands that though, he knows if it weren't for his family we would still be together. He knows we belong together, that's why I put my mark on him, so he'll never forget."

"What about the rape? Did you rape him?"

"Of course not, that is a viscious lie his family made up. I didn't rape Bo, I made love to him. I just couldn't believe that they would try to take something beautiful and make it into an ugly thing. I know Bo says I forced him, but that's just because he's confused by their lies. You have to believe me, I only did what I had to in order to teach Bo a lesson. I had to make him see that we belong together, and his body knows that even if the rest of him is fighting it." When Kathy Sue finished testifying, Mr. Williamson had ony one question.

"Ms. Shelton, why did you attempt to hide what you were doing to Bo Duke?"

"I had to hide it because others wouldn't understand. They would say it was wrong and illegal. I didn't want to go to prison and be seperated from Bo."

After that both sides presented their closing arguments. The defense arguing that Kathy Sue was not aware that her actions were wrong and therefore she should be found not guilty by reason of mental defect. Mr. Pennington asked the jury to allow this girl to get the help she so desperately needed, help she couldn't get in prison.

Mr. Williamson argued that Kathy Sue was well aware that her actions were wrong, even criminal. Her own testimony had told them that she knew it was a crime. That her attempt to hide the crime was proof that she did not meet the definition for criminally insane. Therefore they must return a verdict of guilty.

As soon as closing arguments were presented, Judge Avery instructed the jury on their duty. Once the jury had left the courtroom to begin deliberations, the judge adjourned the court until the jury reached a verdict.

TBC

Well now that the trial is over, y'all get to be the jury. Is she Guilty which will result in a prison sentence. Not Guilty by reason of Insanity, which will result in her being confined in a State Hospital for the Criminally Insane; or Not Guilty which means she will go free. I know I already asked this in a manner of speaking earlier, however with this being the end of the trial the question is more specific. Majority rules so folks, tell me what you think of the story and cast your vote, please.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst

Rating: FRT

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing and voting. The jury's in.

/ denotes thoughts, assuming that the site doesn't delete the slash mark.

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 12

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have your honor," answered the jury foreman, handing a slip of paper to the baliff.

After reading the verdict, the judge looked at the defense table and instructed Kathy Sue to stand up, "Mr. foreman, what has the jury found?"

"Your honor, in the matter of The State of Georgia vs. Katherine Sue Shelton, we the jury find the defendant, not guilty."

At these words the courtroom erupted into chaos as friends and family reacted to the verdict. Suddenly, before anybody could stop him Luke grabbed the baliff's gun and turned to Kathy Sue. "You won't get the chance to hurt him again!" he snarled, pulling the trigger. Immediately afterwards, several state policemen burst into the courtroom and fired on Luke!

"NO!" Bo woke with a scream /thank God, it was just a dream/

"Bo, you okay?" Luke asked, startling Bo who hadn't realized his cousin had moved over to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Yeah, just a nightmare that's all," Bo answered, praying it would remain a nightmare only.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but I know you won't leave me alone 'til I do. There's really not much to tell, the trial was over and the jury found her not guilty."

"What else? Don't try it Bo, I know you're not telling me everything," Luke said, cutting him off before he could protest.

"You grabbed the baliff's gun and killed Kathy Sue, then...I woke up when the state police rushed into the room and started shooting you," Bo told him, shuddering slightly as he remembered the all too vivid dream.

"You ain't got to worry about that Bo. There ain't no way the jury would find her not guilty. They may decide she's insane, but they won't let her go free, I know they won't."

"But...what if they do? What if they think that I did something to deserve the things she did?" Not giving his cousin a chance to answer, Bo rushed on. "Luke you have to promise me...if they do say not guilty; promise you won't do anything crazy. You won't take the law into your own hands, please Luke I need you here, not in prison or...dead. Promise?" Bo asked of his cousin, tears shimmering in his eyes.

Seeing just how scared Bo was, Luke did the only thing he could. Wrapping his arms protectively around Bo, he whispered, "I promise you cousin, I won't shoot her or do anything to take the law into my own hands. You won't have to face anything by yourself, I swear to you Bo, I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks Luke, I know it's silly to be so scared by a dream..."

"After what you've been through? It's not silly Bo, a dream like that would've scared me too," Luke reassured him. After a few more minutes of talking, Luke returned to his own bed and both boys settled down to sleep.

The sound of the rooster crowing woke them next morning. Getting up and dressed they headed outside to take care of the morning chores. A couple of hours later, they returned to the kitchen ready to enjoy the breakfast Daisy had made for them all. After the blessing, the meal was eaten in silence, all of them thinking the same thing and not wanting to bring it up.

"Dang it!"

"Bo..." the only thing Uncle Jesse needed to say.

"I'm sorry Uncle Jesse. I just hate this, everybody avoiding the subject so y'all don't upset me, and since won't none of you say it, I will. Do y'all think the jury will reach a verdict today?" Bo asked the question on all their minds.

"I don't know Bo, but Mr. Williamson will call as soon as the jury reaches a verdict. Do you want to be there or just wait to hear the verdict from Mr. Williamson?" Uncle Jesse asked.

"I guess I should be there, but...maybe it would be better if we stayed home," Bo told him, thinking about the nightmare he'd had last night.

"Then that's what we'll do, I'll give Mr. Williamson a call after breakfast and let him know. What do you kids have planned for today?" Jesse asked.

"I have to work this afternoon, Boss is opening early, figures we'll be busy cause of the...trial," Daisy told them, the last word barely audible.

"That sounds like something Boss would do," Luke said, the anger easily heard.

"I'm sorry Bo..."Daisy began to apologize.

"Ain't your fault Daisy, told you I don't want y'all avoiding the subject on my account. And Luke I know why you're mad, but ain't no point getting mad at Boss for being himself." Turning to Uncle Jesse, Bo answered his question, "I was thinking maybe me and Luke could go see Cooter. We owe him for some parts, thought maybe we could do some work for him since we ain't got the cash. What do ya say Luke?"

"Sounds good to me Bo, beats sitting around here all day." Luke told him, relieved that Bo wasn't letting worry about the trial keep him at home. As soon as they had finished with breakfast, Luke and Bo finished the few chores left to do before heading into town.

When they arrived at Cooter's garage and told him their idea, he quickly agreed, glad to have the help. An hour later, Bo slid out from under the car he was working on and came face to face with his friend L.B.. Neither boy spoke at first, both feeling a little awkward. They hadn't seen each other since a few days before Bo's kidnapping and L.B. was feeling guilty for having wondered if Bo had wanted what she did. Bo wasn't sure what to say to his friend, he could see the guilt written plainly on his face. While he didn't blame L.B. for wondering, he couldn't help wondering if he could trust his friend to be there for him. Did the guilt he saw mean that L.B. knew he had been wrong, or would he leave here and gossip with others about their conversation? Taking a deep breath, Bo decided to give his friend another chance, but even so he planned to be careful. "Hey L.B., haven't seen ya in a while."

"Yeah I know, listen Bo, I just wanted to say; I'm sorry about that. I should've been there for ya, I just didn't know what to say and, well I didn't know if what I'd heard was true."

"You mean you thought maybe I wanted her to...ra...rape me? I heard you talking to Cooter last week L.B.. I don't really blame ya none for wondering, heck wondered myself sometimes, but... I thought you was my friend, why didn't you just come to me instead of talking about me behind my back? How am I supposed to trust you after that?" Bo asked, forcing himself to look his friend in the eyes, refusing to turn away.

Seeing the hurt in his friend's eyes L.B. felt worse than ever. "I'm sorry Bo, you'll never know how sorry I am for that. If I had known you were there...I guess that don't matter none though. I still had no right to be talking about you like that. I don't wonder anymore Bo, I know you didn't notice me at the trial, but I was there and I heard your testimony. I had no idea about what she'd done and I'm sorry I ever had any doubts about you. Do you think you'll ever be able to forgive me?" L.B. asked, hoping that Bo could get past his hurt feelings.

"I don't know, but I'm willing to try. ...um, so you want to help me work or are you just here to look pretty?" Bo asked, trying to sound lighthearted but unable to keep the tension from his voice.

Sensing that his friend was trying to get things back to normal, L.B. tried to play along, "You're just jealous Duke. Let me have a look at what ya done so far, see if I can fix it," he teased, smiling when Bo chuckled at his words.

Watching from the office, Luke and Cooter were relieved to see the two younger men laughing and joking with each other. Once he had calmed down, Luke knew that L.B.'s questions were probably normal and that he didn't mean any harm. Of course he had still worried that Bo wouldn't be able to get past it, no matter what he said about not blaming his friend. He looked at Cooter and grinned, happier than he could say that Kathy Sue hadn't cost Bo a good friend, as he had been afraid she would. Joining the two younger men in working, they spent the next several hours working and joking, allowing the tension to slowly leave.

"Hey y'all, you realize it's lunch time? How about me and Luke go over to the diner and pick us all up some lunch?"

"Sounds like a good idea Cooter, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse," Bo told him, the others nodding in agreement.

"Alright then, what do you two boys want?"

After getting Bo and L.B.'s orders, Luke and Cooter left to get lunch from the diner down the street. Ten minutes later, Bo heard footsteps behind him, "That was quick, y'all forget...," he trailed off when he saw Roy Mason and Billy Joe Henderson standing there. "Hey Roy, Billy...Cooter's not here right now, he went to get..."

"Ain't here to see Cooter. Seen you over here working and we thought we'd come see ya." Roy answered for them both. "So Bo," Roy began walking to the workbench and picking up a screwdriver. "Now that the trial's over with, you can tell us the truth. Kathy Sue didn't really rape you did she? You wanted to be with her didn't ya?"

"No that ain't the truth. I didn't want any of the things she did to me, I didn't lie about it," Bo insisted.

"Look here Roy, you got no call talking to Bo like that. You're just looking to start trouble, and you can just take it somewhere else." L.B. told him, stepping towards him and drawing back his arm, prepared to hit him if he had to.

Seeing that L.B. was willing to defend him, Bo felt some of his fear leaving him, Advancing towards Billy Joe, he backed his friend's move.

Knowing they would have trouble taking these two in a fair fight and not wanting to face Luke and Cooter, both troublemakers turned tail and ran. Looking at each other in surprise, L.B. and Bo broke out laughing a moment later, just as Luke and Cooter returned.

"What's so funny fellas?" Cooter asked.

"Roy Mason and Billy Joe Henderson, they..." Bo looked at L.B. and burst out laughing again, unable to go on.

Cooter and Luke exchanged a confused glance, but couldn't keep the grins from their faces at the sound of Bo's laughter. After several minutes, both of the younger men had calmed enough to tell their older cousins what had happened. At first both of the older men were angry and wanted to teach those two troublmakers a lesson, but after thinking it over they began to see the humor too. Realizing that Bo had taken an important step in getting past what had happened, they decided to let it go.

After several more hours of work, Bo and Luke said their goodbyes, climbed into the General and headed for home. Pulling into the yard, they were surprised to see Lawerence Shelton's car parked next to Uncle Jesse's truck. Wondering what he wanted, Luke looked at Bo in concern. Seeing the look on his cousin's face, he was determined not to let Mr. Shelton hurt Bo any further. "Come on Bo, might as well see what he wants."

Nodding shakily, Bo pulled himself from the General and slowly walked towards the house. Stepping into the kitchen, Bo instinctively stepped back when Mr. Shelton stood up.

Seeing this, Lawerence sat back down. "Bo...I wondered if I could speak to you?" Noticing the reluctance on Bo's face and the protective stance his cousin had taken, he hurried on. "I already spoke to your uncle, he knows what I want to talk to you about, if that helps," Lawerence offered.

"You don't have to talk to him if ya don't want to boy, but I think you should hear him out. If it'll make ya feel better me and Luke'll stay right here with you," Uncle Jesse said, throwing one arm around Bo's shoulders as he spoke.

"Okay Uncle Jesse, if you think I should, I will. I would like you and Luke to be here though, if ya don't mind."

"Course we don't mind, come on Bo, let's have a seat and hear what the man has to say." Luke answered, leading him to the table and shooting a look at Lawerence Shelton. A look that clearly said, hurt my cousin and I'll make sure you pay.

"First let me say, I am sorry for what my daughter did to you Bo. I know I should have realized sooner that she needed help and I can't tell you how very sorry I am for my failure. I know it doesn't come anywhere near making it up to you, but I have an offer for you. I would like to, after the verdict, pay for surgery for you."

"Surgery? What kind of surgery?"

"Skin grafts Bo, I've done some checking and of course the surgeon would have to see you before he could say just what could be done. But I don't want you to be forced into carrying those scars for the rest of your life and if it's possible, I would be glad to pay for any necessary surgery. Whatever it takes to rid you of the reminders of my daughter's actions."

"I don't know Mr. Shelton. I sure don't want to have her initials on me forever, but it ain't right for you to pay, you didn't do it. I know you feel bad about what she did, but it ain't your fault and I don't want your pity."Bo began to stand up, stopping when Lawerence grabbed his wrist.

"Bo, you're wrong. It is my fault, well in a way it is. Please sit back down. Thank you, now you're right I didn't hurt you, but I allowed my wife to run our house. Allowed her to talk down to me and teach Kathy Sue that was the way to behave towards the man you love. Though as bad as my wife can be, Kathy Sue took it a step further and physically abused you. Then the things she did recently, well obviously she is completely out of control and I am partly responsible. I'm responsible in that, if I had been more of a man when she was growing up, perhaps she wouldn't have thought that her actions were acceptable. I can't take back what she did or the mistakes I made, but I can help you now. That's my only reason for offering to pay for the skin grafts that could rid you of those scars, not guilt or pity, but atonement. The only atonement I can offer, please think about it Bo. Don't let your pride and anger stand in the way of your healing."

Seeing that Mr. Shelton was sincere and knowing he did make sense, Bo agreed to at least think about it. Leaving the house, Bo headed to the creek and waited for Luke to come get him after Mr. Shelton left. It took longer than he expected, but finally he heard Luke approaching. Turning he was surprised to see the grin on Luke's face. "Mr. Shelton gone?"

"Yeah, he left right after you did. I was just heading out to tell you when the phone rang, it was Mr. Williamson. The jury's back with the verdict..."

"And?" Bo asked, though he knew by the smile it must be good news.

"Guilty!" Luke shouted, grabbing Bo in a hard embrace. "Guilty on all counts Bo. Bo? Ain't you glad to hear that?" Luke asked, concerned when he saw the look of sadness cross his cousin's face.

"No, but I am relieved. I know you don't understand Luke, but I did love her. Cause of that, I can't be glad that she's going to prison. I can be relieved though, knowing that she'll never be able to hurt me again. Maybe now I can start getting on with my life, instead of always being afraid. So how long is she going to prison for?" Bo asked, after trying to explain his feelings to Luke.

"Don't know yet, Mr. Williamson said there'll be a sentencing hearing in a couple of days. He says the jury will talk it over and then they'll make a reccommendation to the judge. After that the judge will decide how much time she gets, but Mr. Williamson is going to do his best to make sure she gets life. ...There's one more thing Bo, Mr. Williamson wants you to talk to the judge, let him know how what she did affected you. He thinks it'll help to convince the judge to lock her up for life, do you think you can handle that?"

"I...I don't want to, but I know it needs to be done. Guess after the trial this should be easy, huh?" Bo asked, not surprised when Luke was quick to reassure him that he could get through this one last thing. "Come on Luke, let's head back to the house, before Uncle Jesse starts worrying."

Luke nearly ran into Bo's back when he stopped in his tracks. "Bo, what is it?" When his cousin didn't answer, Luke stepped to the side and looked towards the house. "Great what does she want?" he asked, seeing Pamela Shelton's car.

"I don't..." Bo croaked out. Swallowing hard and taking a deep breath, he tried again. "I don't know, but I'll bet she ain't here to help."

TBC

Well, the verdict's in with the sentencing soon to come. I'd say there's only one more chapter to go, but I've been thinking that for the last several chapters, so what do I know? ;) Let me know what you think of the story, please.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst, Violence

Rating: FRT

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 13

When Bo stepped into the house, he hadn't known what to expect, but it sure wasn't this. Uncle Jesse sat in his favorite chair, behind him stood a stranger. A stranger with a gun in his hand that he held against the back of Jesse Duke's head. "Who the heck are you? What do you want?" Bo and Luke both asked.

"Who he is doesn't matter, and the question isn't what he wants. The question that should concern you is what do I want?" Mrs. Shelton spoke from the corner, startling them both. Walking towards Bo, she stopped when Luke took up position in front of the younger man. "Ah, yes of course I should have expected that. Now young man if you don't want to see your Uncle's brains on the floor you will step aside," she ordered.

"Luke, it's okay I can handle this. Please cousin do what she says," Bo said as he placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. When Luke hesitated, Bo squeezed his shoulder in reassurance and gently nudged him to the side. "Alright Mrs. Shelton, you've got our attention. What do you want?" Bo asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"That's better. I suppose you've heard about the verdict, that my little girl has been found guilty? I would have spoken to you sooner Bo, but I was sure that Kathy Sue would go free. I really never believed that you would turn on her like you did. I don't know why you told those lies about my baby, but you're going to fix it."

"I didn't turn on her Mrs. Shelton, she turned on me. I know you don't want to believe it, but Kathy Sue needs help. I didn't lie, she really did do all of the things I said she did. I don't know how you think I'm supposed to fix it, the jury already found her guilty. The only thing left now is for the judge to sentence her, I can't stop that," Bo told her, confused by what she'd said.

"Actually Bo you can, and you will. You see I'm going to take your dear Uncle Jesse with me. In two days the judge will hold the sentencing hearing and you'll be given a chance to talk to him. You are going to tell him the truth. You will tell him that you lied, that my daughter didn't do anything to you that wasn't asked for. Now I could have you go to him today and tell him, but you might try to cheat. This way it's a matter of public record. The judge will be forced to dismiss the charges against Kathy Sue and release her. Luckily thanks to double jeopardy she can't be tried again on the same charges and so she'll be free. Once you've done that and Kathy Sue is released, your Uncle will be allowed to come home. If you refuse or try any tricks, well I'm afraid the only way Jesse will come home is in a body bag. Do you understand me?"

Both Bo and Luke looked at her in complete shock as she spoke. Bo didn't know what scared him more, her threats or the calm way she delivered them. The one thing he was sure of though was that she meant every word she said. If he didn't do as she wanted, she would have Uncle Jesse killed. "Yeah I understand, I'll do what you want just don't hurt Uncle Jesse," Bo answered, completely defeated.

"No Bo don't do it!" Jesse managed to yell before the gunman clipped him with the pistol.

"Leave him alone!"

"Don't hurt him!"

Bo and Luke yelled as one, stepping towards their uncle, stopping at the sound a pistol cocking. Looking at Pamela Shelton, Luke wasn't surprised to see the gun in her hand. He jerked around at the sound of Bo's voice, his heart breaking at the defeat he heard.

"Please Mrs. Shelton don't hurt him, we won't try anything again."

"Very well Bo, I'll give you another chance. Now you two boys get on your knees, very good. Mr. Smith would you be so kind as to escort Mr. Duke to my car, I will join you in a moment." Standing near the door, Pamela kept her gun trained on Bo and Luke until Mr. Smith and Jesse were seated in the rear of the car. "Now we'll be leaving, don't try anything and in a couple of days you can have your uncle back, alive." Backing out of the door, Pamela made her way outside and to her car. Pausing only long enough to shoot out the tires on Jesse's truck and the General, she slid behind the wheel and drove off.

As soon as Pamela had stepped outside, Bo and Luke were on their feet and headed for the door. Freezing in their tracks at the sound of gunshots, a second later they ran outside. Looking at each other, each seeing the fear in the other's eyes and the relief that it had been only tires she had shot. Bo spoke first, "Luke what are we gonna do?"

"Well you sure aren't going to do what she wants."

"I have to Luke, you heard what she said. If I don't tell the judge that Kathy Sue didn't do anything wrong, she'll kill Uncle Jesse," Bo protested.

"Bo, what do you think it'll do to him if Kathy Sue gets away with what she did to you? Besides, do you really think the judge or Mr. Williamson won't realize that something is going on? They're not going to buy it if you all of a sudden change your story. We've just got to figure out something else to do," Luke told him, beginning to pace as he tried to come up with a plan. Several minutes later, he turned to his cousin and snapped his fingers. "I've got it Bo! Mr. Shelton wants to make up for what Kathy Sue did, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So we let him help." Seeing the confused look on Bo's face, Luke tried to make his thoughts clearer. "Bo, she's his wife he might have an idea of where she would take Uncle Jesse. Come on, let's go give him a call."

"Luke...are you sure we can trust him? What if he tells her, even accidently?" Bo asked, surprising Luke who stopped dialing and laid down the phone.

"Damn, you're right. Okay, well then we'll just have to figure out where she's keeping him by ourselves. Did Kathy Sue ever mention anything about a vacation house or a favorite place of her mom's?" Luke asked.

"I don't know Luke, I can't think of anything. Dang it, this is all my fault. I never should've dated Kathy Sue and then Uncle Jesse's life wouldn't be in danger."

"Stop it Bo, right now. There is no way you could have known this would happen when you started dating her, and..."

"Maybe that's true, but I could've broke up with her the first time she put me down." Bo argued, interrupting his cousin.

"Alright Bo, but even if you had that doesn't mean all of this wouldn't have happened anyway. Kathy Sue is unstable and looks like her mother is too. So if you had broke up with her when it first started, it might have only meant all of this would have happened sooner. Maybe it would have happened while I was still in the Marines, I'd hate to think of you having to deal with this on your own." Grabbing Bo by the arm before he could walk away, Luke tried one more tactic. "You think it's your fault that Mrs. Shelton is threatening Uncle Jesse? Well you're wrong Bo, but if you give in to her you might as well shoot Uncle Jesse yourself. Cause it'll kill him to think that you've put yourself back in danger to save him, besides how do you know she'll keep her word?"

"I know you're right Luke, but I can't just refuse. How could I live with myself if I didn't try everything I could to save Uncle Jesse's life? I guess all we can do is try to find him on our own, like you said. We better get busy, we've only got a couple of days to find him." Hesitating, not wanting to argue any more with Luke, Bo decided to keep his decision to himself. Heading to the General, he started changing the flat while his cousin did the same on Jesse's truck.

Finishing up a few minutes later, Luke suggested that Bo get out the county map while he called Cooter and L.B. for a little help. Phoning Cooter, he explained there was a problem and asked if him and L.B. could come out to the farm. As soon as he heard that, Cooter was more than ready to help out. Twenty minutes later the Davenport cousins pulled up in Cooter's tow truck and climbed out.

"Alright Lukas, whats a going on?"

"Cooter, L.B., we need y'alls help. Uncle Jesse's been kidnapped, by Pamela Shelton." Holding up a hand, Luke silenced them and continued on. "She wants Bo to tell the judge that he lied about Kathy Sue or she's gonna kill Uncle Jesse. We need your help searching for them, I don't want Bo out there alone and I thought maybe Cooter could ride with him, while L.B. rides with me. We have to find them before the sentencing, cause no way am I gonna let that witch go free."

"Now hold on a minute Luke, I don't need a babysitter, and if Cooter goes off searching in his truck that's one more person looking. We can cover more ground that way, like you said we only got two days." Bo protested, not liking it a bit that Luke was treating him like a helpless kid.

"Bo nobody's saying you do, but that woman is crazy. I don't think any of us should be going near her without help. Besides it's not just her, or are you forgetting Mr. Smith?"

"I'm sorry Luke, you're right." Bo replied, having the good grace to look embarassed when he realized he'd overeacted. "So who's gonna search where?" Bo knew giving Luke control of the situation was their best hope for rescuing Uncle Jesse.

Walking over to the picnic table where Bo had spread the map earlier, Luke began to outline the plan. Figuring that Mrs. Shelton wouldn't be hiding in the swamps or the old indian caves, Luke concentrated on the cabins near the lake and a few other places. He knew that a few of the cabins were kept by people like Mrs. Shelton for vacations. There were also a few houses around Hazzard that had at one time been summer homes for the wealthy. Although they had mostly been allowed to run to ruin, he thought someone like Pamela Shelton might consider them to be a good hideout. Dividing up the areas to be searched, Luke told Bo and Cooter to focus on places that would be somewhat comfortable. Agreeing that if any of them found Jesse they would call the others before making a move, they left a note for Daisy and headed out.

TBC

A/N: I want to thank Anakin'sGirl4Eva(hope I spelled that right); I wasn't planning for Pamela to go off the deep end quite so much. However I think Pamela must have read her suggestions, cause off the deep end she went. Thanks for the help Anakin'sGirl.

Okay, y'all know the drill. Please let me know what you think.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard. Not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst, Violence

Rating: FRT

/ signifies thought.

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 14

"Mrs. Shelton you need to let me go. I know you're worried about your daughter, but this ain't helping none. The judge ain't gonna believe it if Bo changes his story and he ain't gonna do that. Them kids of mine know right from wrong and even with your threats, he ain't gonna do the wrong thing. You want to help Kathy Sue? You need to start by letting me go and forgetting this foolishness." Jesse tried to reason with her, though he doubted it would do any good.

"Well Jesse you better hope that Bo changes his story and the judge believes him, or you won't leave here alive. I meant what I told your nephews, I won't allow your family to railroad my daughter into prison. Not when the only crime she has committed is falling in love and wanting to make a life with the man she loves."

Jesse looked at her, disbelief clear in his eyes. Listening to her words and considering her actions, it wasn't hard to figure out where Kathy Sue had gotten her own warped ideas of love. "Railroad? Kathy Sue isn't being railroaded anywhere, she did every one of them things my boy said she did. I've seen the scars on his body, spent two weeks worrying while he was lost to us, afraid we'd never get him back. You've got the nerve to say she's being railroaded after all she did to Bo! Lady you're as crazy as she is..."

It wasn't the force of the slap that silenced Jesse but rather the sight of Mr. Smith pointing a gun at him. "Don't say that, I am not crazy and neither is my daughter! She only wants to be with the man she loves, but you won't allow those children to be happy. You've somehow convinced Bo to lie about her, I don't know how you did it but I won't let you get away with it. I will see my little girl go free and then we'll find a way to get Bo away from you. I know once he's with Kathy Sue they'll both be happy. He just needs to spend some time alone with her so we can undo the brainwashing you've done." Pamela ranted on, oblivious to the concerned glances Mr. Smith was throwing her way.

Mr. Smith stood in the corner, his gun pointed at Jesse Duke, watching Pamela Shelton pace and rant. He was beginning to have some serious second thoughts about this job. When Pamela Shelton had first approached him, he had thought her story seemed a bit far-fetched. In this day and age, why would a family concoct a pack of lies, just to prevent a romance? Lies that would send an innocent young girl to prison. He had a difficult time believing that anybody would go to such lengths when they could simply wait, knowing that the romance would probably not last. However Pamela was a very convincing woman when she chose to be and he had an even harder time believing that a well brought up girl like Kathy Sue could be guilty of such terrible crimes. Now though, listening to her and watching Jesse Duke's horrified reaction to what she said, he was beginning to wonder if he was on the right side. Deciding that he needed to gather more information, Mr. Smith made his decision. "Excuse me Mrs. Shelton, I believe it would be a good idea if I were to go out and lay a false trail. Make sure nobody can find us here, will you be okay if I leave you alone with him?"

"Yes, of course I will, that's probably a good idea. You be careful though, don't allow anybody to follow you back here," Pamela ordered.

"Of course not, I won't be long." Mr. Smith assured her, taking a last check of the ropes holding Jesse Duke to the chair before leaving.

As they drove through Hazzard, Cooter was watching Bo, as carefully as he watched the countryside for any sign of Mrs. Shelton's car, . Noting the white knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel and the fear in his friend's eyes, he couldn't help being worried for Bo. What would he do if Jesse was hurt or worse by Mrs. Shelton? In his life Cooter Davenport had never hated anybody, but right now that was what he felt. Hatred, not only for Mrs. Shelton, but also for her daughter. As surely as if he were watching a play, Cooter saw the future laid out before him. He knew that if Jesse died, Bo wouldn't be far behind, the guilt and grief would destroy him, and Bo's death would destroy Luke and Daisy. An entire family, some of the best people Cooter had ever known could be wiped out, all because of one crazy girl and her mother. /I won't let it happen! If it's the last thing I do I will save Jesse. I'm not going to let two crazy women cost me the best friends I've ever had./

"It's gonna be okay Bo, you'll see. We're gonna find Jesse and get him back safe, that's a promise buddy."

"Don't Cooter. You can't make a promise like that and if anything happens to him... I ain't gonna let that happen, I'll do whatever I have to if it'll keep him safe," Bo replied.

"Bo what are you planning?" When Bo didn't answer him, Cooter reached for the cb, planning to contact Luke.

"What are ya doing Cooter?" Bo asked, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling to the side of the road.

"I'm calling Luke, if you won't answer me I know you'll answer him." Cooter told him, pulling from Bo's grasp and reaching once more for the mic.

"Stop Cooter! Alright I'll tell ya, ain't no big deal. She wants me to tell the judge I lied and if we don't find Uncle Jesse, then I will. I don't care if Kathy Sue goes free, heck I'll even go back to her if that's what it takes to keep my family safe. That's all that matters," Bo told him, hoping that Cooter would understand.

"Bo ya can't do that. I know you want your family safe, I'd probably feel the same way. But, Bo do you really think that Luke, Jesse or Daisy would want you suffering to keep them safe? What do ya think it would do to them? 'Sides Judge Avery ain't stupid, he'd know in a heartbeat that something was wrong, especially when he didn't see Jesse in the courtroom with ya. So ya see it wouldn't work anyway, no Luke's right we just got to find Uncle Jesse and make sure that Mrs. Shelton don't get the chance to hurt him. Now you just stop this foolish talk and let's go find him," Cooter said, giving Bo's shoulder a supportive grip before leaning back in his seat.

"What if we can't?" Bo asked, not even attempting to hide the fear he felt.

"Told ya already buddy, we're gonna find him and we're gonna keep him safe. Now what do ya say we getting moving and find Jesse," Cooter said, sighing in relief when Bo nodded and started the car.

Mr. Smith had made his way into town and headed to the newspaper office. After telling the lady at the desk that he was a writer doing a story on small-town America, he soon had what he needed. Sitting at a small table, he poured through the back issues of the Hazzard Gazzette, looking for any information he could find on the trial. Though the paper was careful not to mention names, if you knew what you were looking for it didn't take long to figure out who the people involved were. Reading the articles detailing the abuse that Bo Duke had suffered from Kathy Sue Shelton, he came to the sickening conclusion that he was on the wrong side. /How could I have been so wrong? George, you've been an idiot/ He continued to berate himself as he read the local paper. Knowing that he couldn't continue helping Mrs. Shelton with her plans, but not wanting to go to prison, he did the only thing he could. He thanked the newspaper lady for her help, walked outside, got into Mrs. Shelton's car and headed out of Hazzard.

Bo and Luke, with help from their friends had spent the day searching for Uncle Jesse. Not having any luck they were finally forced to call it a day and return to the farm. Pulling into the yard, both boys winced when Daisy came running out of the house. Neither of them wanted to tell her the news, but they knew there was no choice. So steeling themselves they climbed out of the cars and began to tell Daisy of their failure to find Uncle Jesse. She took the news surprisingly well, and like Luke she refused to allow Bo to blame himself for Mrs. Shelton's actions. Insisting that Cooter and L.B. join them, Daisy soon had all four men in the kitchen and sitting down to a hearty meal. Though none of them really felt like eating, they made an effort, knowing they would need their strength for the next day. As soon as dinner was finished the Davenport cousins left, promising to return at first light to resume the search.

"So where do you want me to search tomorrow Luke?" Daisy asked, having already decided that she wasn't going to be left out of the search.

"Now Daisy I don't think that's such a good idea..." was as far as he got.

"Luke Duke don't you dare try to keep me out of this. He's my uncle too and I got as much right as you and Bo to help find him. Besides y'all are too polite to hit Mrs. Shelton, so ya need me. Now where do you want me to search?" Daisy asked once again.

Realizing that arguing with her wouldn't get him anywhere, Luke had the good sense to give in. That didn't change the fact though that he didn't want her out there alone. "Daisy, would you mind working with somebody?"

"That depends, who?" Daisy asked suspiciously.

"Well, I was thinking we don't want the law involved. Can't risk it getting back to Mrs. Shelton that we're looking, so Enos is out. Do you think Jerry would be willing to ride with you?"

"Jerry?" Daisy was a little surprised by Luke's suggestion. However realizing that it made sense to have help, she gave him a call. When she asked him to come to the farm he agreed and ten minutes later he was there. As soon as he knew what was happening, Jerry was happy to help. Telling them he would be back at first light, he went home to get some rest, while the Duke kids went inside to do the same.

The day was nearly over when Bo saw it. A light at the old Perkins place, he had passed it by earlier when he didn't see any cars there. With no place to hide a car, he had been sure the place was empty. Not wanting to waste prescious time on a bum, Bo convinced Cooter that they should check it out before calling the others. Carefully making their way up to the house on foot, Bo motioned for Cooter to go around back, while he looked in the front windows. Looking inside, he saw his uncle tied to a chair with Mrs. Shelton pacing in front of him, waving a gun. Searching as best as he could, he saw no sign of Mr. Smith, as he watched he could hear Mrs. Shelton ranting. From what she was saying he was sure that her hired gun had deserted her. He was just about to go find Cooter when a hand on his shoulder startled him. Turning around he saw his friend grinning back at him. "Looks like that Mr. Smith took her car and left her here," Bo whispered to Cooter. "She's in there ranting and waving a gun, I don't think we should wait for the others. It's just her, we should be able to take her and then we'll call Luke and Daisy."

"I don't know Bo, Luke ain't gonna like that. Why don't we go holler at them on the cb and then we'll..." the sound of a gunshot silenced him. Jumping to his feet, Cooter raced after his friend, hoping that Jesse was still alive.

Inside the house, Pamela Shelton had been pacing for hours, furious that Mr. Smith had taken her car and deserted her. It didn't help that Jesse Duke kept trying to convince her that Kathy Sue was sick and needed help. No matter how many times she yelled at him to shut up, he wouldn't. He just kept talking , trying to tell her that she should give herself up, insisting that her plan wouldn't work anyway. Finally having enough she fired the gun. As the bullet tore up the floorboard next to Jesse's feet, she smiled in satisfaction when he immediately quit talking.

"Uncle Jesse!" Bo yelled as he barreled through the door, heedless of the danger. His only thoughts were of his uncle and the fear that he had just lost him.

The sudden shout and the sound of the door slamming open startled Pamela badly. Turning towards the sound, her finger jerked on the trigger. She watched in horrified fascination as the force of the bullet threw Bo backwards into the wall. As he slid down the wall, a red stain spreading across his chest, Pamela began to scream. Knowing that she had lost her only chance to save her daughter had her reeling. But the realization that Kathy Sue would never forgive her for killing Bo, that she would hate her was devastating. With these thoughts running through her mind, Pamela Shelton ran screaming from the house, oblivous to the shouts of Jesse and Cooter as they reacted to the shot.

Rushing inside behind Bo, Cooter was just in time to see his friend slide down the wall. He was vaguely aware of Mrs. Shelton screaming as she fled the house, but all he could focus on was Bo. Though it felt like an eternity, it was really only a moment later that Jesse was able to get his attention.

"Cooter cut me loose quick. I'll tend to Bo, you go call for help, hurry now!" Jesse ordered, taking control of the situation. A moment later, the ropes fell to the floor and Jesse Duke stumbled over to where his nephew lay bleeding on the floor. "You hang on Bo. You hang in there boy, Cooter went for help. You're gonna be okay. Ya got to be okay. Please Lord, don't let my boy die. After all he's been through, ya can't let him die like this. Please God, please?" Jesse begged, tears running down his face. Waiting for Cooter to return with help, Jesse used his own shirt to keep pressure on the wound, praying that it would be enough.

TBC

A/N: Jerry is the bartender from the Boar's Nest.

Okay, y'all know the drill by now. Let me know what ya think. Reviews keep me writing.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard. Not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst, Violence, Character death

Rating: FRT

A/N: I wanted to say thanks for all the great reviews, they really do help me keep writing.

If You Love Something Set It Free

Chapter 15

"Uncle Jesse! Are you okay? Where's Bo?" Luke and Daisy asked together, as they ran into the Tri-County emergency room.

"I'm fine, she didn't hurt me any. Bo's the only one who got hurt, he's in the back with the doctors. Mrs. Shelton...shot him, in the chest," Jesse reluctantly told them, worry and grief plain to hear.

Luke and Daisy both collapsed into the chairs beside Jesse, stunned by this turn of events. "How did it happen?" Luke asked. Spotting Cooter standing off to the side, L.B. beside him Luke saw red. Jumping to his feet he slammed his friend up against the wall, "You were supposed to look out for him. Where were you Cooter? Where were ya while that witch was shooting my cousin?" Luke fired the questions at Cooter, not waiting for answers. He needed somebody to take out his anger and fear on, and Cooter made the most convenient target. Before Luke could do more, L.B. and Jerry were pulling him away from Cooter.

"Luke stop it buddy, Cooter ain't to blame for Bo getting shot," Jerry tried to reason with the enraged man.

"Luke son, Jerry's right, it ain't Cooter's fault what happened. If you'll calm down I'll tell ya what happened." Jesse said, placing a hand to his nephew's chest in a gesture that was both comforting and restraining. "You calm now? Alright, well near as I can figure Bo and Cooter must've been outside the house when Mrs. Shelton fired a shot. She didn't hurt me none, just fired at the floor but your cousin didn't know that and well you know how Bo is. He came running into the house, right through the front door and she turned around. I don't know if she meant to shoot him or not, but either way she pulled the trigger and next thing I know is Bo's sliding down the wall and she's screaming. Cooter come in a minute after Bo, he cut me loose and went to call for help, while I took care of Bo. I'm not sure exactly when, but sometime during all that, Mrs. Shelton ran off screaming. Now you still think Cooter's to blame?"

"Luke, I'm sorry I let Bo get shot, it just... Everything happened so fast, we was outside talking about what to do and then we heard a gunshot. Before I had a chance to do anything Bo had took off for the house, I ran after him...but I's too late. I know it ain't much, but I am sorry, you'll never know how sorry..." Cooter trailed off, unable to find the words he needed.

Looking at his friend, seeing his obvious misery Luke knew he couldn't keep blaming Cooter. "No Cooter, I'm the one who's sorry. I know you better than that, I had no right to think you would just let Bo get shot. I shouldn't be taking my anger out on you, you were just an easy target, friends?" Luke asked, holding out his hand, grinning when Cooter took it. A second later the grin slid from his face as he saw Doctor Appleby coming towards them. "Doc, how is he?"

Amos Appleby couldn't contain the smile that spread across his face, "He's gonna be fine Luke. I know it probably looked bad Jesse, and he did lose a lot of blood. Luckily the bullet didn't hit any organs or major arteries. Now as I said he did lose a lot of blood and there is some damage to the muscle of his upper chest, but he will make a full recovery. That doesn't mean he's going to be his normal self next week though. The blood loss is going to leave him weak for a while and he'll need to do some strengthening exercises after the wound is fully healed."

"That's great news doc, can we see him now?" Luke and Daisy asked, anxious to see their cousin, to see for themselves that he was okay.

"The nurses are moving him to a room now and then you can see him. He'll be in room 210, they should have him settled in about twenty minutes."

Jesse stayed behind for a minute while Luke, Daisy, Cooter and L.B. headed off towards Bo's room. "Is that everything Amos? You ain't left nothing out?"

"No Jesse I'm not hiding anything. He really is going to be fine, he needs to stay here overnight for observation. You do need to know, we had to give him some blood to replace what he lost, and I've prescribed some antibiotics as a precaution only. Don't worry Jess, Bo will be back home tommorrow afternoon and back to himself before ya know it," Amos reassured his old friend. "Now why don't you go join your kids and see for yourself." He suggested, patting Jesse on the back before walking away.

Walking into Bo's hospital room, Jesse's eyes filled with tears at the sight of his youngest, once again injured by the Sheltons. Nearing the bed, he didn't even notice the rest of his family standing around the bed. All he saw was Bo, lying there eyes cloudy with pain and fatigue, but alive, praise be. "Bo, how ya feeling sprout?" Jesse whispered, gently lifting Bo's hand in his own.

"Sore and tired, but I'll be okay. Are you okay Uncle Jesse? I heard the shot...I thought..."

"I'm fine Bo, she didn't shoot me. I guess I was annoying her and she shot at the floor, just trying to scare me. Speaking of scaring me, don't you ever do that to me again boy. I swear I lost ten years when I saw you sliding down that wall, blood all over your chest. You scare me like that again and I'll take a switch to ya," Jesse told him, hiding his fear behind gruffness.

"Believe me Uncle Jesse, I don't plan to. Getting shot ain't something I'm in a hurry to do again, it hurts ya know." Bo replied, grinning up at his family and getting the laugh he had been hoping for. "By the way, what happened to Mrs. Shelton? Is she in jail?"

"Nobody knows yet Bo. She ran off after she shot you, but don't you worry she won't get far," Luke answered. "That reminds me, I better go call Rosco and tell him what's been happening."

"Won't be necessary Luke," Jerry said, coming into the room for the first time. "I already took care of it, he wasn't too happy that ya didn't call him sooner, but I think he understood. He said to tell y'all him and Enos will find Mrs. Shelton. Said they ain't gonna let her hurt any of y'all again and that ya ain't to worry, Rosco P. Coltrane is on the job." Jerry repeated the sheriff's words, not surprised when everybody in the room chuckled.

Rosco and Enos pulled up at the old Perkins place, walking inside they shared a grim look at the sight of Bo's blood on the wall and floor. Searching the old house they weren't really surprised to find no sign of Pamela Shelton. Heading outside, it didn't take long to find the footprints of a woman leading into the nearby woods. Following the prints wasn't hard at all, she didn't seem to be making any effort at all to hide them. But then from what Jerry had told them, it didn't sound like she was thinking too clearly, which would explain it. "Sheriff I think she's headed for Hobson's leap," Enos suggested as they followed the prints.

"I know that Enos, I can see can't I?" Rosco responded irritably.

"Yes sir sheriff, sorry about that," Enos contritely answered.

Continuing on they were soon approaching the cliff. They slowed down and quietly came up to Hobson's leap, not wanting to startle the Shelton woman if she was there. As they came out of the woods it was obvious that there was nobody around. Following the prints to where they ended at the cliffs edge, the two men carefully looked over. A hundred feet below them, lay the broken body of Pamela Shelton her neck lying at an impossible angle, it was obvious she was dead.

"Damn," Rosco softly whispered. "Come on Enos, nothing we can do for her now. We'll call search and rescue, have them get her body. After we do that, you can go let the Dukes know that they ain't gonna have to worry about her no more. I'll...guess I'll go tell her husband what happened. Sometimes I hate this job," Rosco murmurred under his breath, too softly for Enos to hear.

Arriving at the Shelton home a short time later, Rosco sat in his car for several minutes, dreading what was coming. Finally climbing out of the car, he slowly walked to the door and knocked loudly. A few seconds later the door opened, "Sheriff, I was just about to call you," a surprised Lawerence Shelton began.

"About your wife?" Rosco asked, cutting him off.

"Yes, how did you know? She was supposed to be home this morning but I haven't seen her and I'm getting worried. Oh, I'm sorry sheriff, won't you come in, I don't know where my manners are..." Lawerence rambled on, afraid to find out why Rosco was on his doorstep.

"Mr. Shelton please stop now, I got something to tell ya. I'm real sorry to have to tell ya this, but ya see your wife well she kidnapped Jesse Duke..."

"What? Why would she do that?" Lawerence interrupted him.

"Well, seems she had this idea that she could force Bo to lie to the judge so he'd free Kathy Sue. Thing is Bo and Cooter they found her at the old Perkins place and well she shot Bo then ran off. Mr. Shelton there ain't no easy way to say this, me and Enos we found your wife. I'm sorry but she's done jumped off of Hobson's leap," Rosco stopped speaking, grabbing Lawerence before he hit the floor. Helping him over to a chair, he sat him down and went to get him a glass of whiskey for the shock.

After several sips, Lawerence began to regain his balance, "Does my daughter know?"

"No, I haven't told her yet. I thought you might want to do that."

"I suppose I should be the one to break it to her, after all I am her father. Sheriff you said Pamela had shot Bo...is he dead?"

"No sir, luckily even though the bullet hit him in the chest, the doc says he's gonna be okay."

"Thank God for that," Lawerence whispered relieved beyond words.

"Are you gonna be okay Mr. Shelton? Is there anybody I can call for you?" Rosco offered, not sure he should leave the man alone.

"I'll be fine, I want to thank you for coming by sheriff, I appreciate you telling me yourself."

"Mr. Shelton, I want you to know this ain't Bo's fault, nor any of the Dukes. Your wife jumped off that cliff on her own, I suppose the guilt of what she done was too much. I want this to end now, so if you got any ideas of revenge, you just forget..."

"You don't have to worry sheriff. In fact I spoke to the Dukes just the other day, apologizing to them for my daughter's actions. I don't blame Bo for what my daughter or wife have done and I won't be doing anything to hurt him or his family. If you'll excuse me I really need to get ready to go see Kathy Sue." As Rosco began to walk towards the door, Lawerence stopped him. "Rosco? Could you please tell Bo, I'm sorry for what my wife did and my offer still stands?"

"Your offer?"

"He'll know what I mean sheriff, so would you pass on the message?" Lawerence asked again.

"Yeah sure, I...I'll do that. I'm sorry for your loss Mr. Shelton, goodbye," Rosco said, before walking out the door.

Three days later, Bo sat in the witness chair testifying at the sentencing hearing. After hearing about Pamela Shelton's actions, the judge had postponed the hearing until Bo Duke could testify. His arm in a sling, Bo waited for the lawyers to begin and so he was surprised when it was the judge who spoke to him. "Bo, I'm sure this is difficult for you, but I would like to hear how all of this has affected you before I pass sentence on Miss Shelton. Could you tell me in your own words what your life was like and is like as a result of Katherine Sue's actions?"

"Yes sir...I'm not real sure what to say. Ya see when I first started dating Kathy Sue, she wasn't like she was later. I mean, she was kind of demanding, but she wasn't mean or nasty. I loved her your honor, and...well I thought she loved me. Maybe she did, but her idea of love is pretty messed up, I see that now, I couldn't there for a while. I know now that the way she treated me when we dated, it was wrong. Ain't really any word for it, except to say it was abusive. When I finally understood that, knew I didn't deserve to be hit or put down, I broke up with her. I thought that was the end of it, until she kidnapped me. I ain't real sure I can tell you what kind of ways it affected me judge. I know that after everything she did to me, the idea of being with another girl scares me to death. I don't know if I'll ever be able to let another girl get that close to me, I keep wondering if maybe they'll all end up treating me bad, hurting me. I guess I'll get over it someday, hope I will anyway. I used to dream of meeting that someone special, like my daddy did and raising a family, but now...I just don't know if that will ever happen now. I don't know what to say to you judge, I know Kathy Sue needs to be punished. Needs to be locked up where she can't never hurt me or anybody else ever again. But I did love her and because of that, I can't tell you to lock her away your honor, I just can't bring myself to say the words. Guess all I can say is you do what you think is best and it'll be alright with me." Bo hadn't been watching Kathy Sue while he spoke, if he had been he would have seen the hope in her eyes at his words. He didn't see it though, couldn't look at her while he talked to the judge. He knew he'd break down if he did, and so he kept his eyes focused on Luke. Drawing the strength he needed to testify from the older boy, grateful that God had given him someone like Luke to help him through this nightmare.

"Thank you Bo I appreciate you talking to me, you may step down. Court is recessed for twenty minutes while I consider sentencing." Banging his gavel on the bench in front of him, Judge Avery stood and walked back to his chambers.

Twenty minutes later, court reconvened and Judge Avery announced sentencing. "Katherine Sue Shelton please stand. On the charge of kidnapping, this court sentences you to a term in the Georgia State Women's Penitentiary for a period of twenty to forty years. On the charge of felony assault, this court sentences you to a term of ten years in the Georgia State Women's Penitentiary. On the charge of rape, this court sentences you to a term of fifteen to twenty-five years in the Georgia State Women's Penitentiary. And on the charge of attempted murder, you are hereby sentenced to a term of twenty-five years to life in the Georgia State Women's Penitentiary. All sentences are to be served consecutively, defendant is not eligible for parole until serving a minimun of thirty years in the Georgia State Women's Penitentiary. Baliff, please escort the defendant back to her cell, court dismissed." As soon as those words were uttered the courtroom erupted in whoops and yells.

Sitting beside Bo, Luke jumped to his feet with a yeehaw at the judge's words. Turning back around he was surprised to see Bo sitting still as a statue. "Bo? You okay cousin? Never mind that was a dumb question. Come on Bo, let's get out of here and go home," Luke said, gently taking Bo's arm and leading him outside. Getting outside wasn't very easy, all the way to the doors they were met by friends and neighbors extending their well-wishes. Finally though with Jesse and Daisy running interference, they were out of the courthouse. Seconds later they were in Jesse's pick-up, the General being too hard for Bo right now. Luke started the truck up and headed towards home, knowing Jesse would ride home with Daisy.

"Luke? Could we go somewhere for a little while? I just dont' want to go home yet."

"Sure Bo if you want. Just let me holler at Uncle Jesse, let him know okay?" After telling their uncle that they would be home later, Luke headed towards the old indian caves. He figured they'd get some privacy there and he was pretty sure that was what Bo needed. Parking the old truck, Luke sat there letting Bo get out first, giving him some time alone. He sat watching Bo for the next twenty minutes, getting out of the truck only when Bo motioned him over. Walking over to where his cousin sat, Luke joined him on the boulder and waited for Bo to speak. He didn't have to wait long.

"Luke? Do you think I'll ever find anybody to love again?"

"Of course you will Bo. You just have to give yourself time to heal, but I know there's somebody out there for you. You're a good man Bo Duke and you deserve to be happy and loved. I don't believe for a minute that you won't recover from what she did. It'll take time, but you'll get there and when you do...when it's time you'll find that one person you can love for a lifetime. Trust me, have I ever lied to you?"Luke asked, a small smile playing across his face.

"Thanks Luke, you always know what to say. I'm glad you were here, don't think I could've made it through all of this without you." Standing up, Bo reached down, taking Luke's hand and pulling him to his feet. "Let's go home cousin, I can smell that crawdad bisque from here."

THREE YEARS LATER:

Bo lay next to the love of his life, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. It hadn't been easy getting to this point. There had been times he'd doubted he would ever find that lifetime love.

It had taken a little more convincing, but finally Mr. Shelton had succeeded in getting Bo to agree to surgery and a few weeks after the sentencing, Bo had met with Dr. Jamison. After examing the scars Kathy Sue had left him with the doctor had told him that he could rid him of that constant reminder. Now, other than faint scars from the skin grafts you would never know her initials had been there.

By the time the surgeries were completed six months later, Bo had completed counseling sessions with the minister and felt ready to try dating. That had turned out to be a mistake, for two years he had struggled to get past what Kathy Sue had done to him. Every time he thought he had found someone he could trust, Bo found himself shaking with fear. Though thankfully most of the time he was the only one aware of just how badly frightened he was at the idea of being with someone else. About the time he'd decided to give up, to accept the fact he would never be able to truly love or trust again, he found the one. Taking him completely by surprise, his once in a lifetime love had stolen his heart and given him back that part of his soul he had thought was lost forever. Turning on his side, Bo wrapped his arms around his love and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Miles away, Kathy Sue pulled the picture from under her pillow and lay staring at it. "This isn't over Bo, I'll make you mine, but first you have to pay for your betrayal. Goodnight darling," she whispered softly, kissing the picture before hiding it once again.

THE END?

Thanks for reading my tale, please let me know what you think. I would like to thank Jade and HazzardHusker for all of their help as beta readers. Y'all have been great.


End file.
